Dreamwalker
by BlackHowling77
Summary: There is a little truth to every dream. Gabriella Montez is going to learn that the hard way.
1. Enjoying the View

**Author's Note:** I know I keep saying that I'm going to stop writing, but it's just so darn addicting! I will finish _Welcome to the War_, I promise you guys that. But this I'm doing for fun, just like _Then and Now_ (though I am a little lost on where I want to go with that one). I thought of this while I was re-watching the first season of Heroes, and figured it would be a fun thing to write about. But anyways, read and review! You know how much I love reviews!

I'm trying to get more reviews. I look at some of these fanfictions that have like 50 reviews for one chapter and 600 overall and I guess I'm jealous. I'm not the type of author that says 'I need this may reviews until I update', honestly I think that's kind of silly. You aren't writing for reviews, you're writing for fun. I hope I will never lose sight of that. But it would be nice to get more reviews, but I can't control that, only you guys can!

* * *

Gabriella Montez was _so_ over school spirit.

It was lame.

Girls in short skirts and tight tops screaming out rhyming dialogue to hundreds of people was overrated. Finding excitement in five men bouncing an orange ball down a court was pointless. Having a roster of fifty, but really only having twenty (not counting the players that were on both special teams, defense and offence) participate was inefficient and kicking a soccer ball into an opponent's net was just down right stupid. She didn't enjoy sports in general, but she always seemed dragged into them.

Like today, for example.

The stands underneath her body were shaking from the constant movement of the crowd. She was almost deaf because of the screaming, and yet, she didn't have any excitement running through her system. She was sitting — probable the only one in the crowd that was — her chin propped up on her palm. One knee was crossed over the other and she had her elbow resting on that knee. She was waiting to see if anything was going to happen, and when it did, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

She though his was going to be _different_. Or at least more original.

But there was nothing original about the situation she was watching. Her eyes were locked on a very nude Troy Bolton at center court. But as usual no one else noticed his lack of uniform, or clothing in general for that matter. The only thing he had was his red and white basketball shoes, which didn't help much anyway because he was so concerned about covering everywhere else. 

The crowd was cheering just as loud and Gabriella stifled a loud laugh when Chad Danforth walked up behind his captain and gave him a slap on the ass. A common adrenalin booster between men, but that didn't stop Troy from jumping about ten feet in the air.

She almost felt sad for him. The East High Captain's eyes were frantic, blue shooting around the crowded stands for an answer — an explanation — as to why he had no clothes on. Gabriella could have sworn that they lingered on her for a split second — chocolate brown and electric blue — before shooting past. Hell, she was hoping he would have noticed her, anything to make him _different_ from anyone and everyone else.

But he wasn't different because Troy Bolton was having an embarrassment dream. The same dream that Bryce O'Connell, the football captain, had almost every other Thursday. The same dream that all of the other self absorbed, shallow, unimportant jocks at East High had. Troy Bolton was _normal_, and Gabriella Montez sighed at the fact.

And another thing, Dreamwalking was _boring_. Well, she couldn't really call it Dream_walking_. She was normally pulled into someone's dream, never really having a choice in the matter. But all the dreams she had walked through were normally the same. Falling dreams, embarrassment dreams, and the occasional happy dream. She had never walked into a nightmare, and wanted to keep it that way. Hers were nasty enough; she couldn't imagine someone else's.

So she tilted her head and let a small smile cross her face. Just because Troy Bolton was normal, that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the view. Right? After all, there was a lot more nudity in this specific basketball game then she recalled, so she shrugged and got comfortable. She crossed her legs on the bleachers and shifted her head into both palms, sighing again. "Another boring dream, Troy Bolton. I thought you were going to show me something different."

Troy never seemed to get over the fact that he was naked. His teammates would toss him the ball, which he would catch and then stand completely still because all eyes were on him.

"Dribble, Troy!" Chad shouted, motioning towards the hoop at the other end of the court. "Come on!"

His blue eyes shot nervously towards the opposite end and he rotated the ball in his hands. After a second passed he tossed it to Jason at the other end of the court outside the three point line, who in turn shot it. The swish sounded and cheers erupted.

Gabriella laughed, applauding the Captain's quick thinking. "Bryce normally fumbles and then gets sacked trying to recover it." Gabriella said out loud, recalling the football captain's priceless face as he tried to claw his way out of the mass of bodies. She shrugged. "Too bad Basketball isn't a contact sport."

Her grin was cut short when she noticed something different. This difference was a man. He wasn't surprisingly tall, or small. He wasn't extremely good looking or out of this world ugly. He appeared normal to everyone else, but he wasn't.

His body posture had given him away almost instantly. Arms crossed across his chest, a baseball cap harbored his head and he wore a thick jacket. He was different because he wasn't cheering; he wasn't screaming crud remarks like the spectators on the other side of the gym, he was doing absolutely nothing. Well, he was doing _something_. He was watching. Just watching.

Gabriella straightened, tilting her head. Dreams were rather simple creations of the subconscious. Things that weren't important weren't covered in detail. She looked around the crowd and found at least ten different bodies with the same face. The people on the East High side all had red shirts on and white shorts. The visitors on the other side were just blurs, memories from a past game. The subconscious never really made anything in detail. Dreams were simple creations.

But this man was _not_ a simple creation of the mind. He was black. Not just his skin, but everything. It was like a silhouette had been cut out of black construction paper, given shape, depth, and this man had been created. He was complex, and she wondered why Troy's mind had created him.

A man in black could mean anything. A past figure. Someone Troy had once knew, but now had forgotten. Or it could be a secret, taking on a shape and form that would haunt Troy's dreams, always watching, no matter the content.

"What are you hiding Troy Bolton?" She stood up, pushing past two students that were screaming their hearts out and started down the bleachers. She kept watching the figure, but he never moved. Not even to breath, his chest never rose or fell. It was like he wasn't even there. The chaos around her was drowned out by her curiosity and she quickened her pace down the bleachers. "Who is that?"

The next moment froze her.

Almost as if he had heard her, the figure tilted its head up to look. His eyes were red. Not a bright red, but a deep, dark red that reminded her of blood. His arms uncrossed from his chest when he realized that she was staring at him, and he turned to leave.

Gabriella looked to Troy, who hadn't notice the figure at all. This man had nothing to do with the young East High Captain. That was wrong. The dream was Troy's creation, and this man shouldn't be allowed to move through it with free will. Not unless…

…he was like her. The realization jump started her and she sprinted down the bleachers. She stopped and watched as he turned his head slightly over his should, paused and then was gone. He just disappeared. She let out a low growl and stormed across the court.

Troy slammed into her. They both went to the linoleum hard, and somehow, the East High captain ended up on top of her. The gym fell silent and Gabriella looked up into his electric blue eyes. And then it hit her.

Troy Bolton was on top of her — naked — and by the look in his eyes — he _knew_ it.

He could _see_ her.

His head tilted, "Montez?"

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She felt her cheeks grow hot and she turned her head to the side. "Um, Bolton, do you — do you think you could get off of me?"

He blinked, glancing down. His cheeks grew red when he realized that he was still naked and she wasn't. His mouth opened into an apology but he never got the chance to say it.

**-XxX-**

A loud '**Bang**' echoed in the library. Gabriella sat up slowly, wiping the sleep from her eyes. She yawned glancing across the almost empty room to where Troy had fallen asleep. His head was no longer propped up on one of his hands. The chestnut haired boy was rubbing his forehead vigorously, curses flowing under his breath.

She laughed. His elbow must have slipped off the edge of the table while he was asleep, which in turn had caused his head to slam into the garnet slab. His hand stopped mid rub and he glanced across to her, his eyes growing small.

"What are you laughing at, Montez?" He barked.

She smiled innocently back. "Nothing."

He didn't seem content with her answer and stood, his chair scraping against the floor. He walked slowly towards her, glancing around to make sure none of his friends were around to see what he was going to do. He plopped down in the seat right next to her, crossing his arms over his chest. "I think I should rephrase my question." He said in a flat voice. "What _was_ that?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh." He leaned back in the chair, unconvinced. "Then, what were you doing in _my_ _dream_?"

"Let me repeat myself," she said through clenched teeth. "_I don't know what you're talking about._"

Something changed in his eyes. He seemed to collapse in upon himself and he leaned closer to her, his voice dropping considerably. "But I saw you there, not cheering. I ran into you, on the court. I don't know why everybody else didn't notice, but I was — I was _naked_."

She laughed at his fear. He wasn't different from any of the other jocks after all. Maybe she should feed his fear a little bit, after all, who was going to believe him if he tried to tell anyone?

She leaned closer to him, "I know." She said with a smile. "I saw that."

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	2. The Start of It All

_LAST TIME-_

"_Let me repeat myself," she said through clenched teeth. "I don't know what you're talking about."_

_Something changed in his eyes. He seemed to collapse in upon himself and he leaned closer to her, his voice dropping considerably. "But I saw you there, not cheering. I ran into you, on the court. I don't know why everybody else didn't notice, but I was — I was naked."_

_She laughed at his fear. He wasn't different from any of the other jocks after all. Maybe she should feed his fear a little bit, after all, who was going to believe him if he tried to tell anyone? _

_She leaned closer to him, "I know." She said with a smile. "I saw that."_

* * *

The moment her head hit the pillow she was out, dragged into another person's dream for the night.

She sat up and came face to face with the front doors of East High. "Not another one," she said in annoyance. "I swear, this one better be entertaining or I give up right now." But the moment she took a step towards the white doors screams split her eardrums. She bet over, her hands clutching at her head.

She backpedaled, trying to get as far away from the noise as possible, but an invisible force stopped her retreat. The doors to the school burst open and time slowed. Students' mouths were open in silent screams, but there was no sound. Gabriella found it safe again to remove her hands and she took a step towards the slow motion students.

The first thing that came to her was that she didn't recognize any of them. Not a single one of the fleeting students looked familiar. Okay, so she wasn't exactly the most popular girl in school, and her inventory of all the kids in her grade was a little low, but not recognizing a single one?

The next thing she noticed was the faces. All the bodies actually _had_ faceson them. Not a single one was the same. But that wasn't what had sent a shiver up her spine. The kids looked 

downright horrified. Almost all of their eyes were wide. Some of the girls were crying hysterically, Gabriella could tell by the tears running slowly down their faces. Even the guys, masculinity and all, had shiny wetness on their cheeks.

That was wrong and her eyes squinted in confusion.

What the hell was going on? She looked to the building again and concluded that it was definitely East High. So, she had been pulled into a student's dream, but it still didn't make sense. Where were they? A persons dream normally revolved around them, and Gabriella was normally shoved right next to the person whose dream she was walking in.

She looked around. No one seemed to be the center of the chaos. She waded through the still slow moving students, passing by unfamiliar face after unfamiliar face. Then, a scream split the air and everything moved just a little bit faster.

Gabriella wasn't concerned about the notched up speed, she had recognized the scream almost instantly and her head whipped around just in time to see Taylor emerge from the school doors. Her step towards her best friends was cut short when she saw the fear in her eyes. If that wasn't surprise enough, Chad Danforth had both arms circled around Taylor, almost like if he let go, she would collapse to the ground.

Taylor had been crushing on Chad for ages, Gabriella knew that for a fact, but the stupid jock didn't know she even existed. It was a complete shock to see the two in the same vicinity, let alone in the embrace that she was currently watching. If that wasn't weird enough, everything else around Gabriella dimmed, almost like someone had turned the stage lights down, and only Chad and Taylor remained illuminated.

With everything still moving in slow motion, Chad half dragged half carried Taylor down the front steps of East High, to apparent safety. Taylor every few seconds would try and turn back towards the bricked school, reaching out her hand desperately. It looked like she wanted to go back in. But Chad was having none of it.

The speed jumped again and Gabriella tore her eyes from Taylor to look back at the school doors. Just like Chad and Taylor, Jason Cross emerged illuminated, his face set in frozen fear as he dragged Kelsi Nelson out after him. The two's hands were clasped around the others and they moved slowly, but frantically, down the steps.

The next two came faster, and Gabriella hardly noticed the quicker speed of the dream. Sharpay and Ryan Evans came out, scared and frenzied. They were sweating as they passed Gabriella, and she just now registered the growing noise around her.

Voices. Screams. Coherent conversations.

"Ha—have to—get—get out!" Ryan screamed over the chaos. He dragged his reluctant sister down the steps. Gabriella tilted her head. Why was everyone so bent on getting out, when Taylor and even Sharpay looked like they wanted so desperately to get back in?

"But—what ab—about?!" Sharpay went to argue.

"We can't do anything—anything for them right now!" Ryan's words snapped into clarity and Gabriella's mouth dropped slightly at the chaos outside of her high school. That's what it was, pure chaos.

Another thing that strongly bothers Gabriella, Ryan had said _them_. Who was _them_? She shook her head and was about to go and walk through the crowd when an explosion rocked the ground. She stumbled, her hands catching her and pushing her back to her feet. Amongst the hysterical screams, Gabriella found what everyone had been so afraid of and the same fear that she had witness in Taylors eyes was crawling its way up her spine.

A wall of fire was crawling its way around the back of the school, the flames licking at the dark sky. Her mouth dropped open, eyes going completely wide.

East High was on fire.

She could hear it as soon as she realized what was happening. With the images of the flames came the sound. Crackling and roaring like a hungry predator; the flames ate away at the back end of the school making its way slowly, but surely towards the front.

"Oh—my—God." Gabriella's hand covered her mouth in horror.

She was snapped out of her stupor when Miss. Darbus exited the building, face covered in ash. The teacher was coughing roughly, the bottom of her long dress burned, half of it gone. Everything was finally in normal speed, and Gabriella shivered at the sheer panic of it all. 

Students were screaming, running around, bumping into one another, falling, getting stepped on. The light was back to ordinary and Gabriella was beginning to feel the heat and smell the smoke of the growing fire. Whoever the dream belonged to had a very distinct memory of fire and smoke.

The last person that Gabriella recognized exiting the building was Mr. Bolton. The older man had two teachers restraining him, the father's efforts to get back into the school foiled.

"_Let me go damnit_!" He snarled; legs pumping against the ground as another teacher came over to help restrain him. "_My son is in there! Let me go!_"

Gabriella froze almost instantly. She didn't know why the news made her heart stop. Troy Bolton was a self absorbed jock that didn't care about anyone but himself. She didn't have to care, right?

"It's only a dream." She reminded herself, shutting her eyes. "Only a bad dream."

Another explosion rocked the school and Gabriella stumbled again. Looking around, she found Taylor, her best friend still fighting against Chad's hold.

"_Gabriella!_" The dark skinned girl wailed, reaching towards the school. "_Gabriella!_"

What?

Then Ryan's words came flashing through her mind. 'We can't do anything for _them_' he had said.

"What the hell is going on?" she snarled before running into the school, thankful that it was only a dream and that she couldn't get hurt because she was walking into hell. Still confused about whose dream she was actually watching, she glanced to one of the working clocks on the wall.

12:27.

Was it a coincidence that she had fourth block with Troy from 12:00 to 1:30? There wasn't time to think about it, she just wanted answers.

Like number one: Whose dream was she walking through? Number two: Why did it seem to revolve around her? Number three: How was that possible if it wasn't actually _her_ dream?

Pushing past the questions, Gabriella ran through the smoky hallways of East High, towards her fourth period English room. She turned towards the main stairs, because her class was upstairs, and froze.

There must have been an explosion when students were still trying to get out because there were bodies everywhere. Part of the ceiling had collapsed, and all she could make out was a hand and a foot of a student who had gotten caught under it. She whipped her head around and saw another kid with a support beam lying across her chest. Others were just strewn across the floor, almost like the explosion had been enough to send them flying.

She covered her nose with her hand and pushed past the images and up the stairs. The fire was at the other end of the school, but the shock wave from the explosions had ripped through the hallways with no mercy.

She slid to a stop in front of her English class, or what was left of her English class. The door was ripped off its hinges; glass from the windows covered the floor. But no one was in there. No bodies or living people.

"We must have gotten out." She sighed in relief, taking a breath she didn't know she was holding in.

"Don't be so sure, Gabriella Montez," she snapped her head to the right, jumping back at the sight of the man that had been able to move freely in Troy's dream. Before she could say anything, he smiled at her. She narrowed her eyes. He was standing at where the hallways made a T shape, and he pointed to his right with a laugh.

"What is this?" she asked taking a cautious step towards where he was pointing.

"What do you mean?" The dark one laughed, his chest shaking with the chuckle. "I thought you knew what you could do?" He gave her a sneer.

She glared at him. "I know this is a dream." She snapped coming to a stop right in front of him. "I mean, what is all of this?"

He tilted his head at her. "Aren't you at all curious?" His hand moved to motion beside him again and her eyes automatically followed his movement.

She stared.

Troy was on his side, his back resting against the wall. The left side of his face was covered in blood, and there was plaster and metal from the pipes in the ceiling on top of him. One of his arms bent backwards at an odd angle, and his right knee twisted in a degree that wasn't supposed to be humanly possible. The arm that wasn't bent was thrown out in front of him, his hand clasped limply around someone else's.

And that's when she came across the body of Gabriella Montez. Or herself, to put it simply.

A wire from a fallen light flickered some ways down the hallway and she got a better look at herself. She was lying on her stomach, her right hand stretched out to grasp Troy's. A beam had landed across the back of her shoulders and one of her legs was crushed by blocks of cement that had blown from the wall. There was blood coming from a deep gash in her side, and her black hair was covering her comatose face.

They both looked dead.

"What do you think?" The dark one's voice was a lot more chipper than Gabriella liked.

"But this is a dream." She whispered. "It's just a dream."

"There is a small truth to every dream, Gabriella." The dark one said in a flat tone.

Gabriella rubbed at her eyes and took a controlling breath. Then she turned to face the dark one. "You did this." She accused.

"Please," he snorted. "This is too childish for my style."

"Then what are you doing here?" She snarled. "How could you walk through Troy's dream like that?"

"I could ask you the same question." He smiled, his red eyes lighting up.

She pulled back slightly. "I get pulled into people's dreams. It's not really like I have a choice in the matter."

"That's a little disappointing." His eyes narrowed. "Then you can't tell what is mine in this dream and what is actually the dreamers?"

Gabriella stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"We can not only walk through dreams, Gabriella but we can alter them to our liking." He smiled at her face and continued. "I wanted to get your attention. I figured that if you were actually the center of attention, I could draw you out." He paused and shrugged. "Though the burning of your precious school wasn't my idea, I just kind of fed off of it. I hope he doesn't mind."

She paused and narrowed her eyes. "Who?"

"Why don't you see for yourself." The dark one pointed past her shoulder.

Gabriella turned and glared at the figure down the hallway. He was small, stocky, and had a ski mask on his face. His right hand went to the pocket of his jeans, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He slid one out, put it to his lips and pulled out a lighter. Gabriella met his eyes, emerald green that was tainted by anger. In that moment she knew he was enjoying this.

She watched as he lit the cigarette, took a drag, looked one last time around the now burning hallway, and threw the lighter into a room, a small fireball exploding from the doorway. "Burn, baby burn," he sneered.

"I have to say," she turned back to glare at the smiling face of the dark one. "The boys got style. But like I said, too childish for me."

"Why are you here?" She snapped.

"Like I said before," the dark one took a step towards her. She matched it with a step backwards. "I wanted your attention?"

"Why?"

"Because, Gabriella Montez, there can only be one of us," he gave her a bone freezing smile. "And I'm it." He shot forward, landing a blow to her stomach. It was the surprise more than the pain that made her knees buckle. She collapsed to the ground, rough coughs wracking her body. He lifted her chin up so she stared him straight in the eyes.

"See you in your dreams."

**-XxX-**

She rolled out of bed gasping for breath. Her arms wrapped around her stomach as she pressed her sweaty forehead against the cold hardwood of her bedroom. Her alarm clock's erratic beeping met her ears and she glanced up to the flashing red numbers.

With a curse, she staggered to her feet, moving towards her closet. If she didn't get dressed now, she would be late for school, which wasn't a problem in her book, but her mother would kill her. Not that it really mattered because someone else already wanted her dead.

She rolled into school right on time, considering her driving was a little more Nascar than it normally was. She was ready for the speeding ticket; she wasn't ready for Troy Bolton standing leisurely in her parking spot.

She really considered running him over.

But he seemed to read her motives and moved out of the way so she could pull in. She got out of her car and glared at him.

"You look like hell, Montez." He smiled lightly at her.

"What do you want?" she grumbled, walking past him and to the steps of East High. "I didn't get any sleep last night so don't annoy me."

"Imagine that." He gave her a sly smile.

"What do you want?" She repeated. He matched her pace as they entered the school and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Aren't you afraid your friends will see us talking?"

He ignored her question. "Whose dream was it?"

She stopped at her locker. "I don't know."

His eyes scrunched up. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'?" She snapped. "I don't know whose it was, okay?"

"What was it about?" He persisted. She sighed in annoyance.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." She whispered.

He grabbed her hand lightly, looking her straight in the eyes. And from that moment on, she didn't want to see any other color than electric blue; no matter how many times her brain told her that he was a self absorbed jock.

She stayed silent and waited.

He gave her an excited smile. "Try me."

**.-.-.- Insert Dramatic Music -.-.-.**

**(Review! Please!)**


	3. Say my Name, say my Name

_LAST TIME-_

_He grabbed her hand lightly, looking her straight in the eyes. And from that moment on, she didn't want to see any other color than electric blue; no matter how many times her brain told her that he was a self absorbed jock. _

_She stayed silent and waited._

_He gave her an excited smile. "Try me."_

* * *

Troy sat back in the chair and crossed his arms, a scowl on his face. "You were absolutely right. That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."

Gabriella sighed. "I told you that you wouldn't —."

"There is no way in _hell_ that I would be caught _dead_ holding your hand —" Her eyes narrowed and he added, just for good measure, "— _Ever_."

"Well, from where I was standing, Bolton, we were in _hell_ and we were _dead_." Gabriella snapped at him darkly before wrangling in her anger and taking a deep breath. "But seriously, out of everything that I just told you," she pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing. "The fact that we were holding hands is the only thing you don't believe?"

"Uhhh," he gave a dumb look, raising his eyebrows, "yeah."

She snorted and sat back in her chair, shaking her head. "Now _that's_ unbelievable."

"Actually, it's quite believable." Troy said matter-of-factly. "There have been loads of studies around the world on the subject of dreams and their contents. Scientists have traced the source of dreams to the limbic system, a primitive part of the brain that controls emotions. During dreaming, the limbic system explodes like fireworks with neural activity, suffusing our dreams with drama." He paused and smiled at Gabriella's open mouth. "That's why so many dreams are emotional events. Where we're running from danger or facing an anxious situation. The part of the brain that controls dreams also orchestrates our instincts, drives, sexual behavior and fight-or-flight response. Certain people — like you — use more of their brain then us _normal_ people. Your mind can reach out and enter the subconscious of anyone remotely close to you."

She washed the surprised from her face and gave him a scandalized look, placing a dramatic hand over her mouth. "Why didn't you tell me that you could read?"

His blue eyes narrowed. "You're treading into very thin waters, Montez."

She didn't flinch at his tone, only leaned closer to him, sneering. "Last time I checked Bolton, you were too." His jaw clenched. "I wonder what your friends would think if they saw us talking together. Or if they found out that you were secretly a," she paused and wriggled her fingers dramatically, "'nerd'."

He glared at her for a moment and considered leaving. But a quick thought came to him and he smiled smugly at her, triumphant. "I could tell everyone that you can walk through their dreams."

She let out a mocking laugh, something he wasn't expecting. "Who in the world, let alone this _forsaken school_, would believe you?"

"I believed you." He retorted, face falling.

"That doesn't prove anything." She replied flatly. "You'd believe cheese came from pigs if one of your friends told you so."

"Why do you _do_ that?" His voice sounded aggravated, but his eyes almost looked drained, like he was fighting a losing battle.

Her head jerked back slightly at his tone. She had never heard Troy Bolton sound so, _defeated_ before. Granted, she had never really talked to him before…but still. "Do what?" She asked.

"Insult me like that." He sighed after a pause. "Just because I play basketball — That I just so happen to be _good_ at it — that doesn't make me a self-absorbed, unintelligent, selfish, jock."

"Oh, really?" She raised an eyebrow. "Then what does that make you?"

He sat back in his chair and relaxed, looking out one of the library windows. Finally, he turned his blue eyes back; those soft blue eyes that made him look so much older than he really was. "Normal? Why can't I just be normal?"

She matched his tone, resting the side of her head on her right palm. "What is normal these days?" They grew silent for a second, thinking, before she continued, "I don't know the answer, but I can certainly tell you that, you — Troy Bolton — are not normal."

He tilted his head curiously. "Why not?"

"Why not?" She laughed softly. "Well, for starters, you're at the top of the social tower. That fact in itself makes you _not_ normal."

"What does that have anything to do with it?" He challenged. "I'm popular, so what? I'm still me."

"Hardly." Gabriella snorted. "If I've learned anything about popular people, it's that there whoever everyone else wants them to be. They have no individuality because their lives are ruled by what other people think of them."

"But I'm talking to you," he added, smiling. "I'm breaking the rules, aren't I? Talking to a nerd. I am _different_."

She made a face at the word different. There were a lot of people that she'd met in her life that had appeared, at some point, to be different. But, in the end, they had disappointed her. Still, Troy Bolton had a point.

She rolled her eyes and stayed silent.

"Seriously," he dipped his head at her. "High school isn't all social status and being popular. There's other stuff too."

"Said the jock to the nerd." She replied smugly, yawning. Her hands stretched up over her head as she leaned back in her chair. Troy thought it was the cutest thing he'd ever seen. The smile washed off his face, however, when her shirt rode up and he caught the end of a thick scar running up her side, only to vanish beneath her shirt.

So as not to kill the mood, or make her get up and walk away, Troy stayed silent. "Why do you have to classify things? You're just setting a boundary that you think you can't cross in the end. Why not try to walk across that fine line every once in a while?"

His attempt at keeping up a conversation failed horribly. Her eyes sharpened instantly, arms dropping to her sides. "I have to go." She stood up and grabbed her books. "This was a bad idea."

He jumped up, eyes frantic. "What? — What did I say?! — Was it me?! — I'm sorry if I said anything bad! — I was trying not to say anything that would hurt your feelings! —"

She shook her head and it was her turn to look drained. "No, no. It wasn't you."

He took a comforting step towards her out of instinct. Something in her voice made his heart race like a jackrabbit. Her chocolate eyes were filled with so much emotion that his heart was hurting, clenching and unclenching with an unknown feeling. He saw so much in her eyes. Hurt. Pain. Sadness. Fear — Loss. "Then what? What was it?" his voice was soft, soothing almost.

She sighed, looking up into his eyes. "It's just, the whole popular thing." She paused for a long moment and he raised his eyebrows in anticipation. "I've been there, done that." She finished finally. "It didn't work out. It's best if I just — slip by this high school."

"Wh — What?" His brain was overloading with her words and the emotion still flowing from her eyes. "Seriously, if I said something to offend you —."

"It's best if you just forgot about me, Bolton." She gave him a small, forced smile. "I'll go back to being the nerd, and you can get your mind set back into being the jock," she paused and scrunched up her eyebrows, "who, if I'm not mistaken, has a championship game next week."

"Stop trying to change the subject." He snapped angrily. "You talk to me for two days and then —" his voice was riding, but he didn't know why he cared so much. Why did he care about losing her? "— What, just let me go? I find out you have this amazing — amazing — _gift_ and then you just tell me to forget that I ever heard about it? That I ever _saw_ it?"

Her face softened. "Bolton, it's best if you just forget."

"What if I don't want to?" he replied stubbornly.

She turned her head to the side and stared passively out the window. "What if I do?"

There it was again. The tone that had entered her voice earlier. The pain and fear, like she was remembering something she didn't want to remember, something she wanted to forget. In that moment, Troy knew that she wasn't just talking about Dreamwalking. Gabriella Montez was hiding _something_. And he had this insane urge to find out what it was because he didn't like seeing her in pain. "What do you want to forget?" He put his hands on the sides of her arms, rubbing soothingly.

She shook her head, so that her straight black hair fell into her eyes, and stayed silent. Moments later, she looked up at him, a fake smile on her face. "I promise not to talk to you in the hallway tomorrow. I know how much you jocks hate that." And with that, she broke out of his hold and left the library, leaving a very confused Troy Bolton behind.

**-XxX-**

"When's the big game, Troy?" Sharpay Evan's voice was to giddy for the early morning.

Troy stifled a yawn and turned to the girl clad in pink. "Next week."

"Why are you so tired, man?" Chad slung a compatible arm over his shoulder, the weight making Troy's knees sag slightly.

"Falling asleep has been murder lately." He replied in a board tone, before rummaging in his locker for his math book.

The hallway was crowded as usual, all the different clicks in their respected spaces. Troy was surrounded by his basketball team, and Sharpay Evans, who always seems to drift wherever he was.

"You need to get your sleep," Chad said in a serious voice, "I can't have my Captain half-asleep on the court for the game next week."

Troy wasn't paying attention. He had caught sight of Gabriella down the hall, walking casually towards her locker. He watched her open it, put her backpack on the ground and start swapping books. He sighed and took her in, agonizing over the fact that he couldn't see her deep chocolate eyes from where he was standing.

Her straight black hair was falling like a waterfall over her shoulder and she would pause every so often to tuck a few strands behind her ear. Her dark blue skinny jeans worked well with her white Vans and shirt. But since there was no way that he would admit to checking Gabriella Montez out, he rested with the fact that he was just — enjoying the view of her halfway down the hallway.

When Chad called his name she looked up, probably out of instinct, and caught him staring at her. He straightened from his resting position on the locker and took half a step towards her. He stopped when she shook her head ever so slightly.

"Hello-o?" A dark hand obscured his vision of her, and when he pushed Chad's hand aside, she was already walking away. "Troy? Who were you looking at?" He felt Chad stand right next to him, searching the crowd. That's when Gabriella glanced over her shoulder towards the group, locking eyes with Troy before realizing that others were watching. Her footsteps quickened and she turned down a side hallway, out of sight.

Biting back his aggravation at his best friend, Troy turned. "What?" He demanded.

"Were you looking at — " Chad paused and squinted down the hallway again, "— Gabriella Montez?"

"What if I was?" He said darkly, shutting his locker.

Chad stifled a loud laugh, placing a hand over his mouth. "Well, for starters, it's _Gabriella Montez_."

Troy's blue eyes flashed like flint, his hand clenching into a tight fist.

"I don't see why you're so surprise, Chad," Sharpay flipped a strand of blond hair out of her eyes casually. "He's talked to her for the past couple days in the library before first block."

"What?!" Chad looked outraged. "For God's sake Troy, she's a _decathlon nerd_."

"What does that have anything to do with it?" Troy defended, his voice rising. "She's nice."

"Oh, I'm sure she is," Chad rolled his eyes. "The transfers always are. There's a reason why they have no friends, Troy. They're _losers._ Nice losers, but still losers."

Troy had Chad around the neck before anyone could stop him. With an anger that came out of nowhere, Troy pushed Chad back against the lockers, his face inches from his best friends. "I swear to God, Chad, if you ever — and I mean _ever_ — call her that again — I'll run you so much in practice that you'll beg for death." He savagely grabbed his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and stormed to his next class.

Chad gulped, rubbing his neck. "What the _hell_ was that?

"Wildcats," Sharpay said tightly, "we have a problem."

**-XxX-**

Gabriella's Calculus book slipped from her fingers. She gripped the edge of the desk tightly, her knuckles turning white. Everything went black and the noise in the classroom lowered to silence. She let a heavy sigh escape her lips and rested her forehead on the desk. For the first time in a while, she tried to pull herself out of it, but in the end, she failed horribly. Too many things factored in. She was too tired because of Troy Bolton and his persistent attitude. Too hungry. And she really didn't really have time for it.

With a groan, she lifted her head from the desk and glanced around the white classroom. Her eyes were instantly drawn to Marcus Wood, his smiling face making her shudder. His long brown hair was due to be cut, and his face looked like it hadn't been washed in days. His smile was a row of crooked masterpiece, the set of braces harboring his teeth failing horribly at their job. It would take a head set and at least twelve hours of surgery to fix them.

But Gabriella had told herself not to judge. She was over judging people just because they looked different. It was shallow and cruel and maybe…Troy Bolton wasn't a selfish jock like he really appeared to be, because it would be wrong to judge him so.

She slapped the palm of her hand to her forehead. "Stop thinking about him!" She growled at her subconscious. At almost the same tip, a loud smack echoed through the classroom. Her dark eyes snapped up out of reflex and her stomach rolled.

Her eyes grew frantic when she caught the sight of Sharpay Evans at the front of the room, a wooden pointer in one hand and cut, little, dark rimmed glasses resting on her nose. Almost instantly — because Sharpay was dressed out in a full on, skin tight, black one-piece with, sharp, black high healed stilettos — Gabriella wanted out.

And she wanted out _now_.

Because before Marcus even slipped slowly out of his desk, Gabriella knew what kind of dream he was having. And believe it or not, she had seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime. Sex-crazed dreams were _never_ fun, especially ones that involved Sharpay Evans, because she was almost in every single one of them. Well, all the ones that came from the nerd population of East High, that is.

Almost on cue, Marcus reached Sharpay, who was sitting casually on her desk, and cupped her cheek delicately. Gabriella tried to control the gag at the back of her throat as the two attacked each other with kisses. The force sent them both backwards over the desk and, _thankfully_, out of sight.

"Your blond friend is pretty popular." A voice spoke out from beside her as Marcus's t-shit was throw up into the air, discarded.

Gabriella jumped out of the desk and tried to put as much distance between her and the Dark One as possible. He chuckled slightly at her reaction, his arms going over his chest.

"You're not scared of me," he sneered at her, eyes red as blood, "are you?"

Gabriella unconsciously rubbed her stomach. "No." she stammered out in a failed attempt to control her fast beating heart.

He was in front of her in seconds. "Well, you should be." He grabbed her by the shoulders, fingers digging into her shirt. His eyes turned dangerous, if they weren't already and his voice sounded like a growl from a wild animal. "You aren't going to escape me this time."

She was so floored by his words that she didn't even see the fist flying towards the side of her face. But when it connected, she sure did _feel_ it. The force threw her to the ground while stars erupted behind her eyes.

"How can…you do that?" She choked, swallowing the nausea of her spinning vision.

The Dark One took his time to answer, slowly circling her while Marcus and Sharpay's pleasure sounds faded in the background. He finally stopped in front of her and looked down, a smile of pleasure crossing his face.

"Its simple manipulation, Gabriella," he watched as she scrambled to her feet, gaining her distance from him. "We have the ability to manipulate people's dreams, which means emotions and feelings. I can make you feel pain however I please." He finished.

A shiver of fear ran up her spine, and she angled her body away from him. "What do you mean? I don't understand."

He tilted his head at her curiously and then slowly, lifted one finger up.

Gabriella suddenly doubled over, breathless. Her hands, both balled into tight fists, went to her head, her eyes squeezed tightly closed as she tried to control the pain shooting through her skull. It felt like every nerve, every inch of her skin, was burning, melting, searing. She froze and shattered a million times in a split second — over and over — but she forced herself to remain standing, trying to focus on the threat she knew was closing in.

She attempted to open her eyes repeatedly, but every time she tried the light seemed to stab into her, forcing her to close them or be skewered by the brightness. Her head was imploding upon itself and she didn't know why.

She couldn't hear herself through the ringing in her ears, couldn't feel her skin through the fire, and she clenched her teeth tighter, trying to prove to herself that she was still real. She balled her fists tighter, but she couldn't feel her nails on her palms. She couldn't feel her fingers period.

Through the pain she could just barely feel something grab her around the shoulders, push her back towards the ground, and she fought it blindly — desperately. She wouldn't allow herself to be taken without a fight even though she could hardly remain conscious. Her attacker pushed harder and the pain increased suddenly, stranglingly. Any thought she ever had was forgotten as the pain seeped into every pore, ripping and tearing without leaving a mark, smothering her thoughts and stealing her breath like a thief in the dead of night.

She gasped for air until she didn't even have the strength to do that. Her knees buckled and she felt herself being lifted up, flying, but the further she moved the more it hurt, like she was being torn from her body. Gabriella stopped even attempting to pull in a breath, gave up under the weight of the pressure on her lungs, wincing as her teeth cut into her tongue while she clenched her jaw against the pain.

Her mouth filled with blood, but she didn't choke because she wasn't trying to breathe. She couldn't see because she couldn't open her eyes, so she couldn't tell when her vision started to fade or when her pain started to ease.

She didn't know if you could actually lose consciousness in a dream, but she was going to find out, sooner rather than later it looked like.

**-XxX-**

She woke up on the floor of her Calculus class, with Troy Bolton leaning over her, pushing his hands into the skin just beneath her ribs, trying to get her to breathe. Involuntarily, she coughed, wincing as her bruised ribs protested under the pressure and blood bubbled up over her lips. Troy looked panicked, his eyes wide, and he quickly placed both of his hands on either side of her face when she opened her eyes, making her look up at him.

"Gabriella?! Are you alright?" He breathed out. She could see his hands shaking out of the corners of her eyes and she mentally scoffed at him for asking such a stupid question.

Wasn't it obvious how she felt? She would have rolled her eyes if she hadn't been so tired. Her belief that he wasn't some stupid jock was instantly thrown out the window. She wanted to tell him to calm down and stop being such a sissy, but when she opened her mouth t say so, all that came out was another sickeningly wet cough, more blood dripping down her chin. His fingers tightened on either side of her face and she winced, remembering the pain. The weakness left over from her dead faint was fading quickly and she was about to lift herself up when Troy suddenly did it for her, pulling her up against him and into his arms.

Her eyes opened completely at this, surprised by his sudden closeness and the feel of his hair against her cheek, but before she could even struggle to push him away, he held her away at arms length, staring into her eyes, suspiciously, almost angrily.

"Never. Do that. Again." He said slowly, darkly, and Gabriella's eyebrows managed to lower through her weakness. She could feel the tips of her fingers again and she was relishing the moment when she would have the strength to hurt him for being such an idiot.

Finally she managed to choke out, "Like I meant to, you dumbshit."

Troy's serious expression morphed into a smile even as she pushed him off of her roughly, grumbling under her breath. "Damn, Montez," his soft, concerned smile turned into a mocking one in a split second. "Warn a guy before you do a face-plant on the floor next time. I could have looked all heroic and caught you or something." His voice was starting to annoy her and she glared at him through the corner of her eyes.

"My goodness Ms. Montez!" Gabriella froze instantly, the memory that she had been in the middle of class creeping up her spine. "What happened?" She gave a soft smile to her Calculus teacher Miss. Robinson before glancing around the room herself. Her neck turned red when she found all of her classmate's eyes on her. Before she had time, or even the courage to answer, Troy butted in, taking her delicately by the arm.

"I think I should take her to the nurse, Miss. Robinson," he tugged lightly on her arm, "it looks like she bit her tongue badly."

"Yes, yes." Miss. Robinson gestured towards the classroom door. "Go right ahead Troy. Make sure she gets there in one piece."

"Thanks. I will." He led Gabriella out of the classroom and towards the nurse's office. Troy helped her down the main stairs and once they turned onto the back hallway she sagged into him, her knees buckling.

His arms wrapped around her waist and he managed to keep her upright. "Whoa, whoa. Take it easy Montez."

She rolled her head up to look at him, and her eyes caught his. "You said my name." She stated slowly.

He looked down at her and worry creased his face. "What?" She smiled at him and his eyebrows grew together. "I'm worried that you might have hit your head on the floor when you fell out of your desk."

She rolled her eyes at his concern. "Earlier," she explained. "When I woke up. You said my name."

He still looked confused. "Uhh, yeah?"

She let him haul her up, glad to get her legs underneath her again. "It's the first time you've ever called me by my first name before."

She felt his hold tighten around her and they walked in silence for a little bit. Finally, as they passed the back doors that lead to the parking lot, he spoke. "Screw it." He said. "If I'm right about what happened back there, which I know I am, taking you to the nurse isn't going to do shit. I'm taking you home."

Gabriella didn't argue. She was too tired to do anything and the nurse would really just be a waste of time. So she let Troy lead her out to his car, let him slip her into the passenger seat while he crawled into the seat next to her.

She rested her head against the window. "Bolton?"

He turned on his car and looked at her. "Yeah?"

"I like it when you say my name."

**.-.-.- Insert Music -.-.-.**

**Authors Note**: Isn't the Dark One really creepy? I really did underestimate the creepiness when I started writing him, but I have grown fond of his control over people's dreams. Something, possibly, Gabriella could master in the future? And I do understand that you just can't up and leave school like that, well, I guess you could, but it would be a lot harder than just simply walking out. But anyways, on another note, I'm almost done with the last couple of chapters for Welcome to the War, so just bare with me on that one. Also I thank everyone who has been reviewing. I just love you guys for doing that for me. Also, if you are confused or have questions, leave a review and I will try to answer them without giving too much of the plot away. I hope you guys enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it. Sorry about the screwy thought process in this note, but remember, leave a review! I LOVE reviews!


	4. Creeper Status

_LAST TIME-_

_She felt his hold tighten around her and they walked in silence for a little bit. Finally, as they passed the back doors that lead to the parking lot, he spoke. "Screw it." He said. "If I'm right about what happened back there, which I know I am, taking you to the nurse isn't going to do shit. I'm taking you home."_

_Gabriella didn't argue. She was too tired to do anything and the nurse would really just be a waste of time. So she let Troy lead her out to his car, let him slip her into the passenger seat while he crawled into the seat next to her._

_She rested her head against the window. "Troy?"_

_He turned on his car and looked at her. "Yeah?"_

"_I like it when you say my name."_

**

* * *

**"So," Troy leaned forward in his seat, placing his chin on the steering wheel, "this is your house."

Gabriella stayed silent and tried to get a hold of her feelings. She was sitting in Troy Bolton's car outside of her house. He knew where she lived now. "How did this happen?" She shook her head grimly and placed her forehead against the cold glass.

"What?"

She turned suddenly to the side, forgetting completely that the basketball superstar was sitting right next to her. For some reason, the hurt in his blue eyes made her feel guilty. "What? Oh, no. I didn't mean—What I'm trying to say is—I'm sorry." She sighed finally.

His head had tilted to the side during her frantic explanation. She was confused when his hand moved towards her face, her body drew back in surprise.

"It's okay." He said calmly and the back of his hand met her forehead. She closed her eyes as his cool skin came in contact with hers.

His eyebrows crashed together. "You're hot."

Her eyes snapped open. "What?"

His eyebrows did a reversal, arching towards his hairline. "No—I mean—you're not hot."

She lifted her eyebrows.

His eyes grew wide, slightly horrified at what he had said. "Oh, damn it—I didn't mean it like that. I meant—you are hot."

Her eyebrows rose even higher.

His blue eyes shifted from horror to panic. "I didn't—What I'm trying to—shit." He glanced at her and his face dropped. She was smiling at him, enjoying his frantic attempts to explain himself.

"You did that on purpose." He accused.

She shrugged and confessed, "maybe."

He grumbled something under his breath and crossed his arms over his chest. Seconds later he laughed to himself and shook his head.

Gabriella was surprised when he looked back at her, his eye crinkled up because he was smiling so big. "Why have I not noticed you before?"

She shrugged and placed her forehead against the glass again to hide her blush. "Maybe you aren't supposed to notice other people. Maybe they're just supposed to notice you."

He nodded grimly. "Though I don't want to admit it; that sounds about right." He gave a world-weary sigh and ran his hand through his chestnut hair.

"Well," she reached for the backpack at her feet, "I guess I should go."

"Do you want me to come with you?" He blurted out.

"What?" She looked to her front door. "Like, in my house?"

"No, I mean to your door."

"Why?"

"You can hardly stand."

"I'm fine."

"You passed out in class, granted, it was calculus, but still, you passed out." He held up his hand to stop her argument. "You're running a fever. You're pale and you have a really cold sweat."

"My mom's home, I'll get her to take me to the doctor."

"You're lying." He said flatly.

"Am I?" She gave an aggravated smile. "How do you know?"

He glanced to her driveway. "There's no car."

"My mom parks in the garage." She said flatly.

"No she doesn't." Troy countered. "There's an oil stain on your driveway. She parks outside." He gave her a smug smile and crossed his arms.

Her hands started to sweat. "I park in the driveway." She opened the car door and stepped out.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out as well. "No you don't." He glanced quickly to her mailbox. "The grass close to your mailbox is dying. Like a car has repeatedly parked on it. You park out there and your mom parks in the driveway."

Gabriella glanced to her mailbox, where the grass was dying in four, symmetrical tire marks. She clenched her jaw and glared at him. "My neighbor's dog loves to pee in my yard. Hench the yellow spots."

"He pees in just four spots?" Troy raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Does he have a cycle? I'll pee here, then here, then here and finally here?"

"You know what? You've just reached creeper status with this conversation." She laughed and turned towards the front door of her house.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" He called after her.

"I don't know, maybe if you notice me, I guess." She gave him a smile.

"See you tomorrow then, Montez." He returned her smile.

"Tomorrow, Wildcat." She lifted her hand and gave him a small wave before she disappeared through her front door.

He got back in his car and smiled to himself. "Wildcat." He repeated the words out loud. For some reason, the way Gabriella said the name made the smile grow on his face. "I kind of like that."

**-XxX-**

Gabriella shut the door and pressed her forehead against the cold wood. Now that she was alone, her body started to shake uncontrollably with chills. She hadn't realized how difficult it was to appear normal in front of Troy, but now, breaking down was an understatement.

Her legs shook and she collapsed to her knees. She sent her hands out in front of her when her world titled, head spinning. Nausea crashed into her like a hurricane wave. She took deep breaths, trying to ignore the bile rising in her throat, and staggered up the stairs to her bedroom.

The full length windows in her room that led to her balcony let in too much light and her head split, making her concentration slip. Her stomach rolled and she staggered to her bathroom, reaching the toilet just as her lunch came up.

The taste was disgusting. She hadn't been sick in so long. Acid burned her throat as she threw up again. Weakness swept through her body, chills shaking her limbs and goose bumps appeared on her arms. She took another breath and gagged, leaning over the toilet again. It was horrible; the pains that attacked her stomach and head at the same time, and nearly toppled sideways with the dizziness.

When her stomach was empty and her teeth started to chatter, she crawled to her bed. Grabbing one of the four wooden banisters, she hauled herself up. It was a nice feeling to sink into her fluffy covers, mentally thanking her mother for the memory foam she had bought as a moving gift last year.

It was such a weird feeling, but suddenly Gabriella had the intense need to burrow. She wrapped her comforter around her body and sank into the softness of semi-consciousness. She found it rather annoying that she could be both burning hot and freezing cold at the same exact time.

It was easy enough to close her eyes, that action didn't require too much effort. She knew that she wasn't going to get any sleep. Her body was tired, but her mind was sharp and still latched onto the memory of what happened the last time she fell asleep. _He _would come if she fell asleep, and she really wasn't in the mood to fight for her life right now.

A knock came from her door and she rolled over lazily, the small action making her stomach do summersaults.

"Gabriella?" Her mother entered, concern written across her face. "The school called. You skipped class?"

She groaned and rolled back over, her teeth starting to chatter again. The bed shifted and another cold hand found her forehead. "Oh, baby, you're running a fever."

"People keep telling me that." She groaned, afraid that if she opened her mouth to talk normally, she might throw up.

"I'll go get some ice packs to cool you down." The bed shifted again and Gabriella's head spun with the small movement. "Do you want some chicken noodle soup?"

"No food." She groaned. The thought of eating made her stomach shift uncomfortably. Her mother returned shortly after departing, and icepack wrapped in a cloth in one hand and a thermometer in the other. It was comforting when her mother placed the cold rag on her forehead, and she sighed, relaxing the best she could.

"I'm going to take your temperature and please, this time, remember to breathe through your nose," her mother stuck the thermometer in her mouth. They waited for what seemed like forever before the stupid machine beeped.

Gabriella spit it out and took a deep breath, making a face. "I hate that thing." Her mother's eyebrows grew together slightly, a small movement that only Gabriella could notice. "What's wrong?"

"Your fevers over 104°F." Her mother switched the rag with the back of her hand. "I wonder if I should take you to the hospital."

"No!" Gabriella said quickly and then lied. "I'm fine."

Her mother's eyes softened. "Gabriella."

"Mom, seriously. I'm fine. I don't need to go to the hospital." She was almost pleading.

They sat in silence for a little bit and Gabriella was sure her mother was going to drag her off to the hospital. Finally, the Montez matriarch sighed and shook her head. "Okay, but baby, if it gets worse, I'm going to have to take you, deal?"

Gabriella tilted her head to the side and looked like she was contemplating the answer. "Deal," she said finally.

"Okay, good." Her mother stood up and the bed shifted again, sending Gabriella's stomach into overload. The older woman didn't seem to notice her daughter's uneasiness and paused at the bedroom door. "But you are _not_ going to school tomorrow."

Gabriella groaned and looked out her window, still wrapped tightly in her soft comforter. "Sorry Wildcat, guess I lied."

**-XxX-**

It was probably the strongest disappointment that had ever washed over him. Staring at her empty calculus seat all class period the next day almost enraged him. _She lied!_ He clenched his jaw and crossed his arms over his chest. He was going to have a serious conversation with her later. A little voice reminded him of what she looked like yesterday. Maybe she really was sick. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, suddenly getting the feeling that he was in the wrong place.

Was she alright?

His heart was pulled one way, towards compassion. Gabriella Montez was nice, sweet, and perfect. But his mind was pulled in another direction, towards reason. He had a State Championship game next week for crying out loud! He couldn't concern himself with some silly girl at a time like this! But in a dire time, Troy Bolton was ruled by his emotions, the strongest one being his heart.

He counted down the seconds and was out of his seat before the bell rang. Tearing out of class, he headed towards the back exits, the doors closest to the parking lot. He had to see her. It was indescribable, how strongly he felt for her. What _was _it? It was something he couldn't figure out, but he needed to see her. She _had_ to be alright. She had to. She needed…

A body invaded his vision. "Where the hell were you yesterday? You skipped practice."

"Not now Chad." He sidestepped his best friend and continued walking.

Chad followed and matched paced. "We have practice right now, where are you going?"

"Chad!" Troy stopped and turned. "Not. Now."

"What's going on with you man?" Chad's voice dropped to a whisper. "People are talking. They say you left with Gabriella Montez during 7th period yesterday."

"And you believe them?"

"I don't want to but only you can set the record straight." Chad paused as a group of noisy freshman passed them. He glanced nervously over his shoulder and then leaned closer. "Did you?"

Troy sighed. "You run practice today, I need to go." He turned on his heels and practically ran for the exit.

It was a quick drive to Gabriella's house, it helped that he was speeding. He had to know what he was feeling. Why did this one girl have so much power over him? Why did he care so much? They were all alien feelings and he knew that Gabriella was the cause of them. It annoyed him at the same time. How dare she have this control over him? His life was perfect before he met her.

He smiled to himself when he parked across the street from her house. Her iceberg blue Honda Civic was silent by the mailbox, just like he had predicted, but there was no car in the driveway. He ran to her front door and rang the doorbell, waiting. No one came. He rang again, shifting back and forth on his feet. Again, nothing.

He clenched his jaw and made his way around the house. He unlatched the door to Gabriella's backyard and entered, smiling at the hammock tightly secured between two trees and the small white table with two chairs on the back patio.

A rough cough ripped through his mind and he looked up to the balcony. A small smile crawled across his face and he walked towards the tree closest to the house. Grabbing one of the lower branches, he climbed up the tree, finally swinging his legs over the balcony railing and to solid ground. He stood still on Gabriella Montez's balcony for a split second, wondering why he had climbed the tree in the first place. He had met her three days ago, and he had already climbed a tree to her room. He had worried about her when she didn't show up for class. Hell, she could have been in a meeting with the principal for all he knew. Why did he have such a strong urge to see her?

He caught movement on the bed through the long windows. Gabriella rolled over, still wrapped up in her fluffy comforter. A white rag fell off of her forehead and when one of her hands reached slowly out to grab it, she froze.

Chocolate brown met electric blue.

Troy smiled sheepishly and approached the sliding glass door. He put his hand on the handle and said, "Can I come in?"

Troy's heart beat increased when Gabriella didn't respond. She laid there, mouth open, eyes wide in shock. When a minute passed without speaking, he slid open the door and walked inside her room. She watched him, still not believing that Troy Bolton was in _her_ room.

"Yeah," she broke the silence and he walked towards her bed. She relaxed into her comforter, "you've definitely reached creeper status."

"I just—I just had to make sure you were okay." He said quietly. "When you didn't come to calculus, I don't know. I guess I freaked a little."

"Why?" She was confused. _He _was worried about _her_?

He was silent for a long time. His only movement was to place the cold rag back on her forehead. "I have no idea, Montez." He laughed softly.

She smiled and pushed the side of her face deeper into her covers, forgetting her uneasy stomach or splitting headache. Her cheeks burned with a deep blush, but Troy couldn't tell. He looked her up and down, trying to get a feel for how she was doing. Most of her body was wrapped up in her comforter, even though it was at least eighty degrees outside. Her teeth were chatter and her body was shivering. She was so pale it couldn't be healthy.

"You look like hell." He said flatly.

"I feel like it." She admitted, then her eyebrows crashed together, confusion clouding her face. "How did you get up here?"

The right side of his face pulled up into a smile. "I'm a Wildcat remember," he explained simply. "I'm very good at climbing trees."

**.-.-.- Insert Happy Music -.-.-.**

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**Author's Notes: **Yay! I updated! So long, I know. But please, review, drop questions. I love reviews! Also, I'm looking for someone who would like to make banners for _Welcome to the War_ and this story. I would greatly appreciate it! PM me the final product or an idea if you want to.


	5. To Be or Not To Be

_LAST TIME-_

"_You look like hell." He said flatly._

"_I feel like it." She admitted, then her eyebrows crashed together, confusion clouding her face. "How did you get up here?"_

_The right side of his face pulled up into a smile. "I'm a Wildcat remember," he explained simply. "I'm very good at climbing trees."_

* * *

"You're lying." Gabriella couldn't help the smile growing across her face.

"You promised you wouldn't make fun." Troy said from his spot on the floor. His back was resting against the wall and his legs were relaxed out in front of him.

"I'm not making fun," Gabriella replied nonchalantly, "I just don't believe you."

"And why not?' Mock hurt crossed his face.

She giggled and coughed lightly. "Because, no ones that unfortunate."

"Oh, I have to disagree, Montez," he said seriously. "I'm the most unfortunate guy you will ever meet."

Gabriella let out a soft laugh and then shook her head, disbelievingly. "But to have your cousin shoot you in the ass with an air rifle?"

"Point blank and pumped seven times." He chipped in. "That's the most important part of the story in my opinion."

"But what if he had pointed the gun at your head?" She pulled the comforter tighter around her body as a shiver attacked her back.

He paused before answering. "Well, I guess I wouldn't be this good looking then." He gave her a cocky smile and she rolled her eyes. At least that didn't hurt.

"Right." She said slowly and then grew silent, a blush heating up her already burning cheeks. "So, is it, like, still in there?" She asked slowly.

"The BB?" Gabriella nodded and Troy's smile grew. "I guess so."

She made a face. "That's just weird."

"Uh-huh, sure it is." He said sarcastically. "I have a BB in my ass, but you can Dreamwalk and for some reason _I'm_ weird."

She narrowed her eyes. "Bite me, Bolton."

He let out a loud laugh, his eyes crinkling up into a smile. The anger coursing through her flashed away in an instant and she snuggled closer to her bed, watching him laugh. There was a different Troy Bolton sitting in her room. She had walked past him plenty of times in the hallway, but he always looked fake, guarded, not human, and maybe even otherworldly. He was untouchable on the basketball court (she'd gone to a few games) unrivaled, almost like a God. Not almost like a God, he was a God. The East High Wildcats Superstar was, with no comparison, Troy Bolton. But sitting in her room now, he looked just—normal. He looked like a boy who hadn't been able to relax and just laugh in a long time. She was happy that he could find that comfort in her prescience.

"I think I've just kind of forgotten about it." He admitted with a shrug and rubbed his thigh. "I still have to carry the x-rays with me when I travel, though. It's kind of a pain in the ass—" He stopped and burst out in another bout of laughter.

"Carry the x-rays with you?" Her eyes scrunched together in confusion. "Why?"

"I'll set off the metal detectors." He said straight faced.

Gabriella stared at him for a second, trying to figure out if he was lying for not. When he didn't break her gaze, she rolled over into her comforter and let out a barking laugh.

Troy crossed his arms and glared at the shaking body on the bed. He listened to her laugh and for some reason, couldn't keep the scowl on his face. It slipped off and turned into a warm smile and he sighed. It made him happy that he could make her laugh so easily. Granted, she was laughing at his humiliating childhood memories, but for some reason, he didn't care. He would tell her anything to get her to laugh. To show him that warm smile and those kind chocolate eyes.

He tilted his head when she kept laughing, and something like fear crawled up his spine when she rolled over, coughing so hard he thought she would scrape her throat raw. Her dark eyes, which were half open in agony, pleaded silently with him, and he sprinted to her bathroom as she drew in a ragged breath, only to start coughing roughly again. He searched in a panicked daze for a cup to put water in, opening and slamming her cabinet doors. He finally resorted to the cup her toothbrush and toothpaste resided in. The water came out of the faucet too slow and he started to hear his heartbeat in his head. The steady thump wasn't enough, though, to drown out Gabriella's raw, throat scraping coughs.

When the cup was full he sprinted back to her side and she rolled over when he approached. One of her hands reached for the cup but he slid his free arm under her shoulders and lifted her up gently. He sat next to her on the bed, adjusting himself when he sank in to her comforter, and pressed the cup to her lips. The hand that had reached for the cup rested against his as she drank. Her hands were freezing and he had to suppress a shiver, telling himself to focus.

"Drink slowly," he whispered, chest tight.

She nodded and closed her eyes, breathing through her nose as she drank. She took her time for about three seconds and then took bigger gulps, trying to quench the fires that had invaded her throat from the coughs. He got up when she finished to get more water, sliding his arm gently from under her. She shifted on the bed, relaxing her shoulders and tried to clear her throat. She winced through the rawness and pain.

"Don't do that." He returned and slipped his free arm back under her shoulders. He offered her the cup again and she drank slower this time, letting the cold water quench the pain instead of drinking for the sake of drinking. When the cup was empty once again, Troy set it on the nightstand and turned his full focus on the body next to him.

"Are you okay?"

She risked a deep breath, feeling a small itch at the back of her throat, but that was the only discomfort. "I'm fine." She said finally.

He laughed softly. "I wouldn't go that far." He gave a sad smile and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. The smile ebbed from his face and he turned his head away, clenching his teeth in helplessness. "Yeah, I definitely wouldn't go that far." She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but it was half-assed and weak.

He didn't buy it and grabbed the rag that had dried out hours ago. "This is the last time I'll get up, promise." He slipped his arm out from under her, grabbed the rag and cup on that nightstand, and walked briskly to the bathroom. He filled up the cup with waster as cold as he could get, just in case she decided to have another coughing fit and then ran the rag under the running water. He heard the comforter shift and his eyes snapped to the bed. Gabriella was watching him, chocolate eyes filled with the slightest bit of confusion. He knew her confusion was not towards his current actions, but his actions of driving to her house and climbing her tree just to make sure she was alright.

_Why_? Her chocolate eyes echoed.

He smiled and returned his eyes back to the running water, shaking his head. "I don't know." He whispered to the empty bathroom. "Why _do_ I care?"

When the rag was cold enough, he wrung it out and returned to her. He sat back down on the bed, put his cell phone along with the cup of water on the nightstand, and shrugged off his shoes.

"Making yourself comfortable, Wildcat?" She asked teasingly, though he noticed that her eyes were sharper and more alert. He smiled at her nervousness.

"Just relax." He slipped his arm, for one last time, under her shoulders and placed the cold rag on her forehead. His hand lingered, cold fingertips brushing across her cheek.

"How can I relax when the East High Superstar Troy Bolton is taking care of me?" She mumbled closing her eyes.

"Because, when I'm with you, I'm not Troy Bolton, superstar," he paused, staring peacefully out of her floor length windows. "I'm Troy Bolton, normal high school junior who's freaking out about his research paper due next week."

An awkward silence settled over the room. Something like flattery bubbled up in Gabriella's stomach. She relaxed and sank into the blue-eyed boy next to her and took a deep breath. He smelled like timber and the outdoors. She could imagine him shooting baskets in his backyard at odd hours of the night, his cold breath fogging out in front of him as he once again ignored his father's orders to go to bed.

"I'm sorry, that was a little awkward." He fumbled over the words, trying to hide his burning cheeks.

"You don't have to apologize," she smiled softly. "I'm glad that you can finally be yourself." She paused, thinking that since he had just confessed something, it was time she talked too. "I've never seen you act this way. I pass you almost every day in the hallway and you always seem guarded, maybe even a little annoyed. You're scary sometimes, I know how silly that sounds, but it's like you have 'Fuck off' written across your forehead. And other times you smile, probably at one of your friend's jokes or something, and I don't know," she shrugged weakly, "it's just the saddest smile I've ever seen. You have everything, popularity, friends, but in reality, you're the most miserable of us all."

He didn't know what to say.

"So here's my question, Wildcat," she licked her dry lips, "why do you do it?"

He smiled, surprised that his chest felt lighter now that someone knew how he felt. "To be or not to be, that really is the question, isn't it?"

"Hamlet," she said surprisingly. "Is reading Shakespeare another one of your secret hobbies like tree climbing? Do you read Shakespearian plays _in_ the trees you climb?"

"Maybe," he chuckled and then sighed deeply, his blue eyes turning serious. "Why do I do it?" He asked himself out loud. He felt Gabriella shift and her head was suddenly against this chest. The blood in his veins froze instantly, but his heart was working overtime. His cheeks burned red because he knew she could hear the rabbit like beating of his heart.

"Just relax," she whispered, closing her eyes.

He gulped and shook his head slightly. "Okay." He cleared his throat, licking his suddenly dry lips. "Why do I do it? Why do I conform to the popular crowd?" He felt her head nod softly against his chest. "I guess—I guess I haven't known anything else. I've always been pushed to be the hero, the leader, king bee. It's my responsibility to hold the school together. My friends, my family, hell, even teachers look at me and automatically expect greatness. I feel like I've let them down if I give them anything less than perfection."

"There's no such thing," Gabriella mumbled solemnly, "and there are different ways to become a hero."

"I know," he gave a hopeless laugh, "but try telling that to my dad. My friends. My teachers."

"Stuff like that annoys me." Her voice was stronger, almost like she was herself again. "It's unfair for anyone to put that much pressure on you."

"If I'm not mistaken, Montez, it almost sounds like you're protecting me." He teased.

"No," she denied, her voice growing weaker. "It's just that—that I understand. There's so much pressure that you just want to break down when no one's around. You want to tell yourself that you can't do it, that _no one_ can. But you bear it all in the end because you feel like, if you don't, you're going to let your family and friends down."

He stared down at the girl next to him, her face shielded by her black hair. How did she know exactly how he felt? He figured it had something to do with her move to Albuquerque, the scar that he had glimpsed in the library, and her words about how 'she's been there, done that.' He sighed and closed his eyes briefly, a weight lifting from his chest as someone finally _got it_. "Yeah." He said softly.

"Then you have to listen to me, Troy," he looked down when she said his name, and came face to face with her chocolate brown eyes. So deep with passion, knowledge, that he didn't want to look away. "If you feel like that, you have to understand that it is your family and friends that have let you down, not the other way around. They're selfish to put so much presser on you, just because they can't handle it themselves. They owe it to you to let you be different. They shouldn't judge you on what or who you want to be and how that measures up to their standards. If they limit you," she broke the eye contact and sank into him, relaxing and letting her breath even out, "then they aren't really your friends."

He sat in silence for a couple of minutes, letting his breathing match to the rhythm of hers. Deep and slow breaths calmed him. "What do I do?" he asked. He waited but she didn't answer. Fear crawled at the back of his neck and he glanced down to her sharply.

She'd fallen asleep.

He caught his breath, confused as to how she had more control over his heart than he did. Smiling down at her peaceful face, he watched her chest rise and fall, reassured that she was going to have a good sleep. He tucked the comforter around her more tightly and rested his head back on the headboard. She still had a fever, but there really wasn't anything he could do for that except watch her and take care of her. He had the glass of water on the nightstand, and was ready to rewet the rag whenever it dried out. All in all, he was prepared for anything. The thought in itself was enough to let him relax.

"Goodnight, Gabriella." He reached over to the light on the nightstand and turned it off.

**-XxX-**

The crick in his neck was too painful to ignore and he rolled his head to the right. Something soft tickled his nose. The mass in front of his face smelled like strawberries and he smiled, relaxing again.

A soft buzzing interrupted his slip into unconsciousness and he scowled. The buzzing almost sounded like a—cell phone! His eyes snapped open and his head whipped to the side. He groaned, more out of realization of what time it was than the pain that flared in his neck.

When his eyes adjusted to the darkness, panic flashed through him. He wasn't in his own room. The panic lasted for less than a second when he spied the body lying next to him. She hadn't moved an inch since she'd fallen asleep. Her face was still peaceful but she drew in labored breaths, her teeth chattering softly as a fresh layer of sweat ran down her forehead.

The strong sense of helplessness hit him from before as his phone vibrated again, this time falling off of the nightstand in the process. He sighed and decided he should get home. Staying with Gabriella, though it was what he wanted to do, probably wouldn't be the best decision right now. He knew his father was already planning some sort of punishment for missing basketball two days in a row. Hell, the teen hadn't missed a practice in three years. But Troy wasn't worried about basketball; he could deal with that kind of punishment. Suicides and 7ups were noting. Not being able to see Gabriella again was a punishment he couldn't handle.

So, he slid his arm out, making sure not to disturb her, and stood up. He put on his shoes and reached for his phone. He had four missed calls and five text messages. No surprise that both his parents had called him as well as Chad. He also figured that all the texts were from Chad also. But when he scrolled through his inbox, there was a text from his dad. Troy's eyebrows drew together. His father didn't know how to text. He opened the text and groaned out loud.

_From: Dad_

"_Get home NOW!"_

_Callback #: 674-897-7796_

_Received: Wednesday, Nov 1 7:52 pm_

"I'm dead," he mumbled darkly to himself. It was 10:47, his father had texted him over three hours ago. Troy turned and glanced down to Gabriella's sleeping form for one last time. He smiled before turning and walking out onto the balcony.

The backyard was pitch-black and the only illumination was the moon and stars. It wasn't even remotely close to enough light to climb down and panic bubbled in his stomach. He felt his way towards the tree that shaded the balcony and swung his legs over the railing, making sure to get a good foothold before starting his plunge into the darkness. Troy recalled that climbing the tree earlier had been a piece of cake, but now, descending the tree in almost complete darkness was damn near impossible.

About halfway into his climb, he put his foot down and felt nothing but air. Hs weight was too much and the branch his hand was grasped around snapped. His stomach rose into his throat before he ever started falling. It was awkward, falling and having no idea how close or far away you were from the ground. A scream raced up his throat but he hit solid ground before it had the chance to escape.

He landed hard on his back, the air rushing from his lungs. A groan escaped his open mouth and he rolled over, cringing. "You better be worth this, Montez," he pushed himself to his feet and staggered out of Gabriella's backyard.

**-XxX-**

Someone was stroking her cheek. Her eyes opened on their own accord but she couldn't see. She blinked, trying to clear her vision and a blurry shape came into view. Her mother was sitting on the bed next to her, a soft smile crossing her face.

"How are you feeling?"

Gabriella contemplated the question before answering. She didn't feel as weak, but she still had the chills that attacked her spine. "Alright, I guess."

Her mother replaced the rag Gabriella hadn't realized had been missing. Cold spread almost instantly from her forehead and she welcomed it gratefully. "You still have a fever, but it's not as sever. It must have dropped over night."

"I did get a really good sleep." Gabriella said with a small smile, sitting up slightly.

"I bet you did," her mother replied slyly. Then her eyes turned critical. "Is there anything you want to tell me, Gabriella?"

Gabriella froze. "No." She denied.

"Are you sure." Her mother had that look in her eye. The look that only mothers had. The Montez matriarch was basically screaming 'I know your secret, but I still want you to tell me.'

"Mom, what are you talking about?" Gabriella tried to divert her mother's attention. It failed horribly.

"I'm talking about that boy who was in your room last night."

_Shit._

**.-.-.- Insert Music -.-.-.**

**(Review! Please! Action is coming, I swear!)**


	6. Romeo and Juliet

**Author's Note**: I know. I know. I'm so sorry! It's been far too long and I know I was really good at updating for a while and then stuff just started happening that usually didn't happen. I'm off my grove so please bare with me while I try to get back on it. anyway, I stole the Romeo and Juliet thing from those USA commercials for the starter wife. Sorry for the long wait and _Welcome to the War_ is next on my list of updatings.

On a side note, I have started to get in the mood for making banners. Got check em' out in your free time. I know they aren't anything special but I like them. So, the usual. Enjoy and review please!

* * *

_LAST TIME-_

"_I bet you did," her mother replied slyly. Then her eyes turned critical. "Is there anything you want to tell me, Gabriella?"_

_Gabriella froze. "No." She denied._

"_Are you sure." Her mother had that look in her eye. The look that only mothers had. The Montez matriarch was basically screaming 'I know your secret, but I still want you to tell me.'_

"_Mom, what are you talking about?" Gabriella tried to divert her mother's attention. It failed horribly._

"_I'm talking about that boy that was in your room last night."_

_Shit._

**-XxX-**

Her heart was racing. _Should I still play dumb? Or spill everything now and see if that gets me off the hook?_ Regardless of her minds frantic search for answers, Gabriella swallowed and stayed silent. Her head was spinning and the palms of her hands were sweating. Finally, she got her voice back. "I don't know what you're talking about." Her mind screamed at her to be honest. She'd never lied before, why the hell start now? The voice in the back of her head retorted one name with a growl. _Troy Bolton_.

"Gabriella," her mother gave her a doubtful look and then smiled, "I'm not mad."

The teen was caught completely by surprise at her mother's nonchalant. "You're not?" She stammered weakly.

"No, I'm not." Her mother smiled again.

"How did you know?"

Her mother's eyes turned bright, the smile growing wider as the older woman sighed dreamily. "I came to check on you last night and imagine the surprise I got when I saw you cuddled up to that boy."

Gabriella bit her lip and looked down, hiding her blush. "I still don't understand. Why didn't you say anything before now?"

"You looked like you were in an important conversation," her mother shrugged, "and he was taking care of you so I saw no harm in letting him stay. After all, you always do the right thing."

"Mom, I'm a teenager," Gabriella replied skeptically. "Am I supposed to believe that you went to bed knowing there was a boy in my room?"

"I didn't say I went to bed, Gabi. I'm not that naïve, please give me a little more credit as a mother. I just stayed up watching TV downstairs until he left." The Montez matriarch grew silent and then giggled softly, shaking her head.

Gabriella's head tilted to the side. "What?"

"Well, when he was leaving—he—well he—" her mother laughed out loud again, unable to finish her sentence.

"Spill it, mom!" The young teen snapped impatiently.

"Well, he—he fell out of the tree."

Gabriella's mouth dropped open. "W-What?" she stammered.

Her mother laughed again. "I was watching TV in the family room and I heard this loud thud. It sounded like something heavy had fallen so I glanced over the back of the couch to see what it was and—," she smiled again and suppressed a laugh. "And he was just lying on the ground groaning."

"Why is that funny?!" Gabriella snapped. Her anger switched to concern in a split second. "Was he alright? Did you go and check?"

"Oh, Gabi, he was fine. It wasn't that far of a fall." Her mother replied. "It would have been more embarrassing for him if I had gone out and showed him I had seen."

"But what if he was hurt?!" Gabriella vented.

"He was fine." Her mother insisted. "He got right back up and left." In an instant, she put down the cup of coffee that had been placed in front of her mouth and grabbed for the local newspaper. "Actually," her eyes scanned the front of the paper, "if I'm not mistaken, Gabriella, this is the boy who was in your room." She flipped the paper around and Gabriella groaned out loud.

Troy Bolton, in all his glory, was plastered across the front sports page. He was going for a layup, the camera positioned almost beneath his as his fingertips directed the ball towards the hoop. 'East High Wildcats, the best?' ran along the top of the page in bold, dark font. Gabriella slunk farther into her seat, hiding her face with her hand.

"Well?" Her mother had a triumphant smile on her face.

Gabriella scowled. "Yeah," she said in a dejected voice, "that's him."

Her mother's eyebrows rose with the conformation and she looked back to the picture of Troy. "He's not bad, Gabriella. Good job."

"Mom!"

"What?" The older woman shrugged innocently. "I'm just saying."

"Please, don't." Gabriella waved a hand. "Just. Don't. It's too complicated."

"Complicated?" Her mother raised an eyebrow.

"Captain of the basketball team," Gabriella pointed to Troy's picture, "smartest girl on the Decathlon team," she pointed to herself and finished in the perfect 'duh' tone.

"Am I supposed to know what that means?" her mother sighed.

"It means complicated." Gabriella answered flatly.

The woman looked intently to her daughter and then sighed deeply, shaking her head. "It says that they're to play Robertson County High School tomorrow," she glanced over the paper to her daughter. "Are you going to go?"

Gabriella heaved a deep breath. "I don't know."

**-XxX-**

It's funny how the I don't knows of life always turn out to be yes's in the end.

A strong sense of déjà vu crawled up Gabriella's spine as she walked into the crowded gym. She glanced up to the scoreboard, the large bright letters informing her that there was three minutes left in warm-ups. Still, the gym was almost packed to capacity and Gabriella felt uneasy in the massive crowd. She shoved past a group of rather chatty freshmen and headed towards the bleachers on the home side.

"Gabriella!" A hand was on her shoulder and she turned.

Troy Bolton was standing behind her, breathing deeply, his face covered in sweat. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.

"Troy, what are you doing?" She asked eyes bright. "Shouldn't you be warming up?"

"I should, but I saw you come in and thought I should say hey." He paused, heaved a deep breath to get his breathing under control and smiled. "Hey."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Hey." She returned, inclining her head.

"I didn't think you would come. I never see you at games." He paused for a split second before reaching forward, the back of his hand meeting her forehead. "That's much better," he smiled. "So, you're feeling okay?"

Gabriella was vaguely aware of the entire population of the gym's eyes on her. Surprisingly and completely uncharacteristically, though, she didn't care. She could escape into his deep blue eyes and not worry about anyone else. "I'm feeling much better, actually. It was probably just the flu." She smiled at him.

His eyes brightened. "I'm glad to hear it. You worried me for a second."

"It was just the flu, you didn't have to worry." She reassured a little distressed that she had upset him.

"A little worrying will do me some good." His smile turned crooked. "Besides, I don't mind worrying about you."

Gabriella felt the smile on her face reach her ears, a laugh emitting from her chest. She shook her head to hide the crimson blush running across her cheeks. "I don't know what to say to that." She admitted.

Troy laughed too, one of his hands rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, sorry. My brain mouth thing doesn't really seem to work around you."

"So, you're blaming me?" She asked seriously, except for the tiny sparkle at the corners of her eyes that seemed to laugh at him.

He nodded his head, face straight. "It's all your fault that I stumble over my words, Montez. You're killing my charisma."

"Whatever," Gabriella grinned and then shoved him lightly back towards the court. "Go play your game Wildcat, it's the most important thing right now." She turned and started walking towards the far end where she had spotted Taylor earlier.

"No it's not!" Troy yelled over the growing noise of the crowd. "I can think of a couple other things that are important!"

Gabriella paused and turned slightly, just enough to see his grinning face. His blue eyes sparkled at her and she shook her hand, waving over her shoulder. "Have a good game, Wildcat." She turned again and started walking.

"My PS3!" he yelled. "That's important!"

Gabriella shook her head and kept walking.

"And we can't forget about food!" he continued, jogging backwards towards the court.

She laughed softly to herself as she sat down next to Taylor.

The dark skinned girl leaned closer to her. "What was all of that?"

"All of what?" Gabriella asked innocently.

"Don't give me that, Gabriella," Taylor said sternly. Then, she saw a flicker of something she didn't know what in her friend's chocolate eyes. She leant forward eagerly, scanning her best friend's face. "What is it?" she pressed. "Why are you so — _happy_?" She said the last word gingerly, with a look of hesitation on her face.

Gabriella didn't answer.

Taylor let out a low growl, crossing her arms. "I have heard rumors," she continued darkly, "I didn't think for a second that they might actually be _true_."

"Rumors?" Gabriella asked sharply. "What rumors?"

"So now you want to talk to me," Taylor replied sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.

Gabriella set her jaw and looked back towards the court. Troy was standing with Chad at center court, both captains wearing their blazing red jerseys with the small captains 'C' in the left corner. The visiting team harbored black jerseys with dark purple accents. The two captains facing Troy and Chad were monstrous, towering over the East High players. The center ref showed the game coin to both captains, then flipped it into the air.

Gabriella smiled, watching Troy. His blue eyes, which she could see form her position in the bleachers, followed the coin into the air. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to her and electric blue met chocolate brown.

She tilted her head at his small smile and he winked at her.

"You can't not tell me that that's nothing." Taylor said from the side.

"It's nothing." Gabriella repeated, smiling innocently at her friend. "You're just imagining it Tay."

"Yeah," Taylor laughed sarcastically, "me and everyone in this gym. You were the center of attention when you walked in."

"You're overreacting."

"Am I?" Taylor asked skeptically. "Then maybe you can explain to my why Sharpay Evans hasn't taken her eyes off of you since you stopped talking to Troy."

Gabriella suddenly felt an uncomfortable sense crawling up her spine. She turned her head slightly, catching the blond, flashy hair of Sharpay. The twin was sitting at the top of the bleachers, her brother next to her and she was surrounded with the entire popular population of East High. The thing that sucked most was that Taylor was right. If looks could kill, Gabriella would have been dead already. Sharpay Evans was glaring daggers straight at her.

"Oh wow," Gabriella turned back towards the court swiftly and ducked her head. "She does _not_ look happy."

"I don't think that's quite the right word." Taylor supplied with a crooked smile.

Gabriella titled her head at her best friend. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She asked scandalously as Taylor's smile widened. "What if she decides to kill me Tay? Are you going to just smile and watch while that cougar rips out my hair?"

"That depends," Taylor replied through a laugh.

"On what?" Gabriella demanded in mock outrage.

"On whether or not you're going to tell me what's going on between you and Bolton. I make it a habit to not get in fights that I know nothing about." Taylor paused and then smiled. "Besides, Sharpay Evans scares the shit out of me."

Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes. "You're so manipulative, you know that?"

"Why thank you." Taylor said sweetly and then her face turned serious. "So are you going to tell me or not?"

"After the game," Gabriella waved a hand. "Half the people around us probably want to know too and I would feel a tad bit uncomfortable explaining it here."

"Can we just leave then? I really want to know."

Gabriella's eyes focused on Troy on the court. She smiled softly. "You can go," she said without looking beside her, "but I want to stay and watch."

Taylor grew silent and studied her best friend. "Uh-huh. The day Gabriella Montez wants to stay and watch a basketball game is the day the world ends." she said finally. "It's defiantly not—."

The teen was cut off when Gabriella shot up in her seat, the action being executed by everyone in the stands. Loud boo's radiated throughout the gym.

"Nothing." Taylor finished lamely, getting to her feet as well.

"That was the cheapest shot I've ever seen," Gabriella growled dangerously. Her hands were balled into tight fists at her sides.

"Is he okay?" Taylor asked nervously.

Troy was on the ground, clutching his right knee painfully. Gabriella could hear Chad's strong curses even over the roar of the crowed as he pushed the player that had knocked Troy to the ground. Jason and Zeke rushed over and pulled Chad away as the center ref had a heated discussion with the Robinson County player.

"Are you kidding me?!" Jack Bolton roared from the sideline, throwing his clipboard to the court. "He should be ejected for a foul like that!"

Gabriella's eyes stayed glued to the blue-eyed boy on the court. "Come on Troy, come on," she mumbled over and over to herself. Finally, with the help of Chad and Zeke, Troy got to his feet. While everyone else clapped, she could see the uncontrollable agony in his eyes. He limped heavily over to the bench and sank into the chair.

"He's okay." Taylor reassured, placing a calming hand on Gabriella's shoulder.

The brunette didn't answer and kept her eyes on Troy. The trainer was inspecting his knees and the blond boy sat back in his seat and turned his head slightly to the stands. His eyes didn't stop scanning until he found hers. Butterflies burst in her stomach as he gave her a forced smile. She didn't believe him one bit, but she smiled softly back at him.

The whistle blew and the game resumed.

East High was going to play without captain Troy Bolton.

**-XxX-**

"Just please tell me I didn't tear anything, Chris." Troy laid back down on the training table, covering his hands over his face. He hadn't played the rest of the game after the cheap shot, but East High ended up winning anyway.

A finger poked his knee and Troy shifted uncomfortably. Chris spoke after a few moments of silence, "well, you didn't tear anything. I think you might have strained your MCL. Maybe your meniscus too."

"Is that bad?" Troy shot up in panic. "I'll be able to play next week, right? Because it's West High and it's the Regional finals and—"

"Calm down, Troy." Chris held up his hands. "I'm going to get you a knee brace. You need to wear it. I mean it. No matter how uncomfortable it is. You don't wear it, you don't play." Chris went to reach for something and then turned back, "and you might want to get some X-rays after the west High game if it's still bothering you. Just to be on the safe side."

"That's it?" Troy asked.

"That's it." Chris nodded and then his eyes shifted to the blue eyed teen's wrist. "This, on the other hand, looks rather bad."

"Oh, that's—that's—" Troy tried to shift away, but was caught by Chris's deft hands.

"This is pretty swollen, Troy. You probably should have wrapped this during the game." Suspicious clouded the young trainers face. "When and how did you do this to yourself?"

Troy's mouth opened and closed but he couldn't come up with a good enough lie.

"I accidentally ran in to him," a voice answered from the doorway.

Troy tensed, shifting his eyes towards the door. He relaxed instantly, finding the soft smile of Gabriella Montez. The butterflies in his stomach swirled and shifted into a monsoon as his heartbeat raced through his veins.

Chris didn't seem to buy it but shrugged anyway, getting up and digging ice out of the ice machine to put it into a plastic bag. He tied it swiftly and laid in on Troy's wrist. "Keep that on there for fifteen minutes. I'll be back in a second."

"But it's cold," Troy complained.

"Suck it up, Wildcat," Gabriella smiled, entering the room as Chris left.

"This is your fault, you know," he replied flatly.

"Like I told you to fall out of my tree," she said doubtfully.

"Shit," his face reddened, "you saw that?"

"No, but my mom did."

"Even better," he groaned. "She's going to think that I'm some sort of tree climbing freak."

She smiled at how cute he looked. Staring at him, she decided to save him from his self hate and changed the subject. "So, what's wrong with your knee? It's nothing too serious, is it? You're okay?" She inched closer to him.

"Uhh, yeah," he fumbled out, "Chris just said I pulled some muscles, but I'll be able to play next week if I wear a brace." He made a face and she laughed softly.

They grew silent and he dipped his head, looking straight into her eyes. "You were worried about me?"

"What?" Her eyes grew big. "No. I mean—I knew you were going to be okay."

"Admit it," he smiled triumphantly, "you were actually worried about me."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Okay, I was," She admitted finally.

"Was to—" His eyes grew big at the realization. Gabriella turned away from him when that signature crooked smile spread across his face. "I can't believe it."

"This is exactly what I didn't want to happen," she grumbled, running her heads over her face. "If you're going to make some cocky remark, do it now. Get it over with."

"Gabriella I—"

"No, no." She cut him off. "I understand. It's cute that the little Decathlon nerd has a thing for the Wildcat superstar."

"Gabriella, that's not—"

"It's probably all just a big prank with your friends." She turned quickly and glanced around rapidly. "They'll pop out any moment and start laughing at me. Or maybe just Sharpay. She looked like she wanted to scalp me during the game."

"Gabriella!"

She stopped abruptly, turning slowly to look at him. "What?"

"You have a thing for me? Really?" His smile widened and his eyes seemed to laugh at her. Her eyebrows crashed to form a v and her mouth opened to form a rather crude remark. He shook his head and waved his hands rapidly. "Sorry, sorry. It's just I've never done this before."

Confusion clouded her face. "Done what?"

He blinked before shaking his head again. "Never mind." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "I was going to say that we're kind of like Romeo and Juliet."

She rolled her eyes. "What is _with_ you and Shakespearian plays?"She stared at him blankly for a few moments and then ventured a guess at what he meant. "Fictional characters who died tragically?"

"No," Troy rolled his eyes but there was a smile on his face.

Gabriella waited for him to continue, but he stayed silent and just smiled at her. Ignoring the sudden tornado of butterflies in her stomach, she asked, "then why are we like Romeo and Juliet, Troy Bolton?"

"Because we're falling in love when we shouldn't be."

**.-.-.- Insert Dramatic Music -.-.-.**

(**Review!**)


	7. The Tower Is Crumbling

**Author's Note**: I finished a future chapter the other day and I'm starting to question my rating. I really did try to keep everything within the 'T' criteria, but one of the chapters get's pretty bad, so I might have to change it (it's nothing like explicit sexuality or anything but you guys know me and my violence hehe. I get out of control sometimes) Or I might just give you guys warning beforehand. Can I do that without having to change the rating? Oh well, back to the story. It's been terribly long, so I'm sorry again. But enjoy and review please. I love it when you guys review!

(ps. I found this band online a while back that I think ROCKS. They're called RED and I listen to them almost all the time when I'm writing. Especially to the songs Hide and Pieces. Check them out!)

* * *

_LAST TIME-_

_He blinked before shaking his head again. "Never mind." He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "I was going to say that we're kind of like Romeo and Juliet."_

_She rolled her eyes. "What is with you and Shakespearian plays?"She stared at him blankly for a few moments and then ventured a guess at what he meant. "Fictional characters who died tragically?"_

"_No," Troy rolled his eyes but there was a smile on his face._

_Gabriella waited for him to continue, but he stayed silent and just smiled at her. Ignoring the sudden tornado of butterflies in her stomach, she asked, "then why are we like Romeo and Juliet, Troy Bolton?" _

"_Because we're falling in love when we shouldn't be."_

**-XxX-**

With the revelation that Troy Bolton might actually be in love with her, Gabriella drifted through the next week in a daze. Schoolwork didn't matter. The life-threatening stares and glares she got from the entire 'cool' population of the school, but mostly just Sharpay, didn't or quite possibly couldn't faze her. Because whether she liked to admit it or not, she loved him back. And nothing was going to change that.

Taylor finally asked what was wrong with her the day of the West High Regional Finals. When Troy was just so perfect it kind of made Gabriella's heart hurt and her brain shut down. All she could think about was remembering how to breathe and his piercing blue eyes. It was annoying just how inconvenient her feelings where. Why now? Why _him_?

"Girl, whatever this is," Taylor waved a hand in front of Gabriella's face, "it needs to stop."

"You can't stop feelings," Gabriella mumbled to her best friend. "Believe me, I've tried."

Taylor crossed her arms. "Try harder."

"Do you hear yourself right now, Taylor? I just can't stop lovi—."

A hand clamped its way over her mouth. "Don't say that word."

Gabriella rolled her eyes and Taylor removed her hand.

"And why can't I say that word?"

"Because you're eighteen and you can't be in," Taylor made a face, shuddering, "—_love_. Especially with _him_."

Gabriella groaned and pushed the broccoli around on her lunch trey. "Why is that so hard for everyone to believe?"

"Because they don't want to accept it." Taylor supplied, gulping down a fork full of mashed potatoes. "Troy Bolton's been the most eligible bachelor since, well, since sixth grade really. People don't want to admit that he might be finally taken. Especially by someone like you."

"God," Gabriella rolled her eyes and sighed. "High school is so fucked up."

"It really is," Taylor replied nonchalantly, not fazed by her friends language.

But Gabriella wasn't listening any more.

Troy had entered the cafeteria, both teens' eyes meeting at the exact same moment.

With a bagged lunch in his hands, the East High captain made his way casually over to Gabriella and Taylor. In an act so unexpected, he plopped down right next to the petite brunette and opened his lunch.

The cafeteria was silent.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella hissed quietly, though she was pretty sure everyone could hear her.

"I'm eating my lunch." He replied dumbly. But the confidence in his stride and body posture was not present in his eyes. Gabriella could see the nervousness hidden deep within the blue and maybe, just a little fear too.

"I know that. I meant what are you doing _here_? Shouldn't you be up there?" She flicked her head to where Sharpay and the rest of the basketball team were sitting. Staring.

Troy turned to her. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be," he said simply.

A small smile spread its way across her face as Taylor mocked a gag.

"Oh god," Taylor covered her mouth with her hand. "You two are going to make me sick."

"Shut up Tay." Gabriella smiled brightly.

"So," Troy leaned in close, glancing to her food try, "what's for lunch?"

Gabriella glanced down as well. "I don't really know, exactly."

"Well," he opened his bag and pulled out two sandwiches, two bags of chips and two sets of cookies. "My mom went a little crazy last night." He gave a sheepish smile.

"You brought me lunch?" Gabriella cocked her head at the nervous looking boy beside her.

"Well, I mean, I watch you eat lunch every day—"

"That's not weird," Taylor said flatly from the background.

"—but you never really eat it so I figured I would bring something you might like."

Gabriella smiled broadly, leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Troy looked like a twelve-year-old who just got an Xbox for Christmas. He flushed a light red and his hand founds hers, threaded fingers and all. "You're welcome."

Taylor gagged. "I'm going to go kill myself now."

"Excuse me," Taylor turned sharply to find a distraught looking Chad Danforth standing behind her, trey of lunch food in hand. "Uhh, is this seat taken?"

Through her open mouthed shock, Taylor shook her head and watched as the vice-captain took the seat, a grim look on his face.

"I'm Chad Danforth, by the way," he half smiled at her.

Taylor looked the boy over and would have said something polite if not for the shirt he was wearing. She had heard, after all, that he was famous for his shirts.

"Cute," she replied dryly.

He smiled. "Thanks."

"I meant your shirt."

Chad looked down, his cheeks growing red at the 'That's What She Said' written across his chest. "Oh—well—I can—I can explain that."

"Please," Taylor sighed, "don't strain yourself." She paused for a beat. "And I'm Taylor McKessie."

Chad grumbled something incoherent under his breath and shoved his sandwich into his mouth.

After two giggles from Gabriella and a soft chuckle from Troy later, Chad rolled his eyes, dropping his fork to his trey in disgust. "It's kind of nauseating—"

"—how much in love they are." Taylor finished, the side of her head resting on her open palm. The cafeteria had gotten over Troy's little stunt and was back to its busy self, but the nose still wasn't enough to drown out Gabriella and Troy's laughs.

"Yeah," Chad nodded, his face still set in a grim line. "It's almost like a much cheesier, mush more modern Romeo and Juliet."

Taylor turned to Chad, a small smile twitching across her face. "You've read Romeo and Juliet?" she asked, impressed.

"Do SparkNotes count?"

"No."

**-XxX-**

"He actually talked to me!"

Gabriella rolled he eyes from her position against the bathroom wall. Taylor was pacing back and forth in front of the row of sinks, her face elated.

"Granted, we were talking about how disgusting you and Troy were, and I do think he's a little slow, maybe unintelligent too, but still," Taylor paused, took a breath and smiled again. "He talked to me!"

"Is this what I sound like?" Gabriella crossed her arms, "because if it is, I give you permission to slap me whenever I start oogling about Troy."

Taylor ignored her comment and kept pacing, smiling broadly.

A cheer erupted nearby and Gabriella push away from the wall, grabbing Taylor by the shoulder. "We have to go, the second half of the games starting." Taylor nods, straightens her red Wildcat t-shirt and headed out of the bathroom.

The two enter the gym seconds later, met by waves of red and white on the right and blue and white on the left.

"I feel like the entire student population of West High is here," Taylor pointed out as they tried to find their seats in the crowded East High stands.

Finally, after kicking two smaller boys out of their seats, Taylor and Gabriella turned their attention back to the game.

East High had been leading at halftime 80 to 75, but Aiden Hensley and his West High Knights weren't going down without a fight. And without a fight was equivalent to throwing every cheap shot and dirty play in the book at Troy. Again, Gabriella had to watch Troy shoulder through it all from the stands.

Troy went up for a three pointer, but the moment the ball left his fingertips, the vice-captain of West High slammed into him, sending Troy crashing into the West High bench. The team scattered, chairs scraping against the linoleum.

The center ref rushed over, the whistle in his mouth blowing urgently. "That's a technical!" Turning to the West High coach, "it's his fifth, Coach. He's fouled out."

Troy groaned and got to his feet, but something twisted beneath his brace and fire crawled across his knee. "Dammit." He cursed darkly under his breath as Chad rushed over.

"Troy, you okay?"

"Yeah," he lied. "I'm fine."

"I don't want you to push it, man."

"Chad, I'm fine. Just get me the ball."

Chad still looked unsure, but bit back his concern and took his place back on the court. Troy hobbled to the free throw line and took his shots.

He missed both.

And in that moment, Troy Bolton knew something was wrong. All the energy for shots came from the legs, and with Troy's right knee out of whack, he couldn't distribute the energy correctly. Every shot he took dipped to the right.

In his made attempt to compensate for h is handicap, Aiden Hensley sunk two three pointers and in seconds, the East High Wildcats were losing.

Coach Bolton called a 30 second timeout with 3 seconds remaining in the game.

"Shit, where's all the time gone?" Troy growled as they circled up.

"Troy, are you alright?" His father asked. "If you need a—"

Troy's voice was firm. "Just get me the ball."

Jack Bolton nodded his head. "Okay guys, you're heard your captain. Fend them off, get Troy the ball and get your third straight title."

"What team?" Chad roared.

The East High stands answered with the team. "WILDCATS!!"

Troy and the others took the court. Troy threw the ball in to Chad, who took it and tried to turn. Instantly, three West High players were on him and the only thing Chad could do was pivot on one foot, trying to fend them off.

The clock was ticking faster.

"Chad!" Troy roared. "Top of the key!"

Chad threw caution to the wide and shoved the ball over his head. Troy jumped for it, but so did Aiden Hensley. The blue eyed teen snatched it from the other boy's hands and turned.

Troy went up for the shot, his right knee burning from beneath his brace. The ball left his fingertips and the crowd grew silent.

His eyes found the digital clock behind the backboard, the bright red numbers ticking his life away. The ball arched towards the net painfully slow, and he watched as the leather covering slammed against the backboard and dropped down into the hoop. It bounced once, twice against the rim and then dropped away from the hoop harmlessly.

The crowd erupted into cheers, but it was not East High. Waves of blue and white rushed the court as West High celebrated their victory.

Troy stood in disbelief, the scoreboard burned into his memory.

He had missed the shot.

He'd lost.

His knees gave out from under him and he sank to the floor in defeat. He didn't have any strength left to do anything. He couldn't even breathe properly. His throat closed up on his and he rubbed his hands over his face in a made attempt to get a hold of his emotions.

"Come on guys, get over here, circle up." He hated hearing the loss in his father's voice. He hated seeing the defeat in his team's eyes. But he got up from the court floor none the less and made his way over to his team.

"Now, we have to shake this off guys," Coach Bolton, his father, was trying to hold his voice from shaking. "This is just a bump in the road. We are still guaranteed a bid in the State Tournament because we were the number one team during regular season." He paused and was granted by silence. "This was good for us guys. Whether you want to believe it or not, this is not the end, only the beginning. We finally have experience in the one thing a lot of teams in States don't have. So, what have we learned?"

"That we aren't immortal," Troy said softly. "Even great teams can fall."

"That's right," his father nodded his head. "But what will be the true show of our character?"

"Our ability to get back up and fight again."

"Very good, Troy," Coach Bolton scanned the defeated faces of his team. "Never forget, boys. We are Wildcats. We are fierce. We are strong. And no matter how far we fall from the top, we will _always_ climb back up."

Troy nodded in agreement and turned to Chad. "Will you do the honors?"

The curls on his best friend shook with the nod. "What team?!"

They all put their hands in. "Wildcats!"

They disbanded after the cheer, some going to great their parents and others heading to the locker room for a cold shower. Troy did neither.

He sat on the bench and stared at the score board.

**-XxX-**

"Someone should go in there," Sharpay replied worriedly. "He's the only one left."

"Are you volunteering?" Chad asked. "Don't you know you never go and consult Troy Bolton after he's lost?"

"I thought this was the first time?" The blond asked in confusion.

"It is," Jason stated. "But still, it's a guy thing. I wouldn't advise it."

"But he looks so—," Sharpay paused and her face softened. "—_sad_."

"Again, are you volunteering to go in there?" Jason asked. "Because you might as well jump into a pit full of lions. Your chances of survival would be better."

"Excuse me." The three glanced behind them and found the solemn face of Gabriella Montez.

"What are you doing here?" Sharpay snapped quickly.

"The same reason you are, except instead of just staring at him from a safe distance, I'm going in." Gabriella explained sternly.

"The hell you are." Sharpay positioned herself between the door and the petite brunette. "He needs to be alone right now. It's a guy thing, apparently."

"Alone?" Gabriella snapped and Sharpay's eyes grew wide. "Leaving him alone right now would be self destruction. He needs someone to go calm him down."

"What makes you think he needs _you_?" The blond used the term mockingly. "_You_ don't even know him."

"That might be true," Gabriella sighed, "but I find it sad that none of his best friends have the courage to comfort him in his darkest hour." Sharpay's head jerked back as if she had been slapped.

Gabriella slipped under Sharpay's arm and flashed a small smile to Chad. "Chad."

The African-American boy nodded a greeting. "Gabriella."

The brunette entered the gym, the door clicking shut behind her.

Sharpay rounded on Chad, looking suicidal and the boy backed up respectfully, holing his hands up in surrender.

"What's going on?" Jason asked slowly.

"Do you remember the problem I mentioned earlier?" The blond asked, pursing her lips.

"Yeah."

"Well, it's getting out of hand."

**-XxX-**

He found slight comfort in the quietness of the gym. Everyone had left hours ago, but he couldn't find the strength to stand. He knew Chad, Jason and Sharpay were watching him from outside the gym doors. He could feel their eyes boring into him, but he wanted to be left alone.

His mind flashed through the game, the final buzzer, and the emotional feeling of loss. "So, this is what it feels like to lose?" he questioned himself quietly. "It kind of sucks." He couldn't figure out how teams dealt with this unfamiliar emotion. It felt like nothing else mattered anymore. It felt like if he were to die right now, he wouldn't care. No one would.

Consciousness drew him away and he heard the gym doors open and close softly. He almost expected to see Chad or Sharpay, but his back strengthened instinctively when Gabriella entered his view.

She walked towards him slowly and he smiled at her cautiousness. It was true that you never consult a man after he's lost. But it was also true that only the love of his life could break down that wall.

Gabriella sat down next to him, folding her hands in her lap and stared at the floor. "You played better than anyone could have asked for, Troy."

He didn't want to get made, especially at her, but his mouth twitched and anger slipped into his heart. "I lost. I lost it for everyone." He spat.

She turned her head to him and it was then that he saw the anger in her eyes. "Does that make you feel better?" She snapped.

"Does what?"

She stood from her seat. "Does blaming yourself make you feel better?"

He stared dumbly at her. "Well, no, but—"

"Then why do you do it if it makes you unhappy? When you know it's not the truth?" She asked flatly.

He stared at her for a long moment and then he let a small smile crawl its way across his face. "You're mad at me?"

She sighed. "Only because you're blaming yourself when it's not your fault." She paused and looked to the tips of her shoes, fidgeting with her hands. "I don't—I just don't like seeing you like this. It breaks my heart to see you unhappy."

"I'm not unhappy."

"You're lying."

Troy shook his head at her. "I'll tell you why I blame myself." He paused and waited until she sat down next to him again. "It's because I need to. If I think I played bad, then I can improve myself. I can practice harder for longer. I can work on free throws, three pointers." He stopped and turned to her, emotion spilling from his eyes. "But If I can't find a reason as to why I lost, then why did I lose in the first place?"

"Troy," she took one of his hands in hers, "sometimes you just can't win. Sometimes things just happen. Fate doesn't need a reason."

"I don't believe that." He shook his head and smiled, shuddering at the word. "_Fate_. I don't believe in fate."

Gabriella cocked her head to the side and after a moment, got up and walked a little ways away from him. "Then what do you call this?" she motioned with her hand at the two of them. "What do you call us?"

Troy got up as well and ignored her questioning of their relationship. "Come on, I need to get out of here and you look like you're starved. We need to get some food into you."

"I have everything I need right here." Gabriella whispered.

Troy stood stock still, staring at the girl before him. "Gabriella…God, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything."

And Troy finally smiled because his body could speak for itself. It could tell him how much he wanted her, how desperately he needed her.

He held out his hand and she came to him. He eased his fingers beneath her hair and clasped the back of her neck. She tilted her chin and looked up at him.

And that one look was his undoing.

Gabriella was right. They didn't need words. Everything she felt was there in her eyes. All the love and longing.

"Gabriella." Her name reverberated in the stillness of the gym. Troy never realized how good it felt to say her name until now.

Her mouth parted on a gentle sigh, almost board, and he grinned. _Any time now_, he could picture her saying, in that voice that only she uses. He urged her face upwards as he lowered his mouth to hers.

He kissed her, felt the smile curve across her lips, and in that one moment Troy Bolton knew his life would never be the same again.

**.-.-.- Insert Music -.-.-.**

**(Review!)**


	8. I Brought my BP Game, Did You?

**Author's Note**: Look at me! Updating a mere two days after! Haha. The only bad thing that I have to say is don't get used to it….I had a copious amount of free time, surprisingly, but the next couple of weeks are going to be packed full of studying and writing ten page papers. Yuck. So I figured I would crank this one out before I went on another 4 or 5 months of not updating. That, I can promise you, will never happen again (I may have just lied, but we'll see) And some of you might not approve of this chapters content, but guess what, I really don't care =P lol (that was also a lie. I do care; it's just not going to change my plot or writing) I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and it's amazing what you can find on the internet ;)

Anyways, as always, read review, leave some love or hate, I'll probably find amusement in both.

* * *

_LAST TIME-_

"_Gabriella." Her name reverberated in the stillness of the gym. Troy never realized how good it felt to say her name until now._

_Her mouth parted on a gentle sigh, almost board, and he grinned. Any time now, he could picture her saying, in that voice that only she uses. He urged her face upwards as he lowered his mouth to hers._

_He kissed her, felt the smile curve across her lips, and in that one moment Troy Bolton knew his life would never be the same again._

----------

**Chapter Eight:**

_I Brought My BP Game, Did You?_

_----  
_

Gabriella used to love parties.

But now, after certain circumstances in her life, she eyed the crowded house with caution, the loud music coming from the residence made her edgy. She had to admit, it was the perfect house to have a party at, especially one of this caliber. It was at least two miles away from any other house and a good distance away from any major road. If the cops just happened to get called, it would give them enough time to destroy the evidence or get the hell out of there. The woods to the back would be an excellent escape route, instantly hiding any who entered its dark shadows. They would vanish into the night, leaving no trace behind.

Gabriella, in another life, would have enjoyed the sight of such a promising party. She probably would have been one of the first ones there, partying long into the night and rolling into bed just around dawn. But that was then.

Now, she wasn't very fond of parties.

"It'll be fine," a hand found its way around one of hers.

She turned to look at Troy, a small smile on his face. She nodded her head slightly and forced a smile. "I'm surprised you guys are actually having a party in honor of the game. You lost."

He grinned. "Just because we lost doesn't mean we can't party."

"You Wildcats sure do get over things quickly."

"Do not dwell on the past," Troy said philosophically, his tone making Gabriella giggle, "For it is the future that really matters."

"I think you've read too much Shakespeare."

"Maybe," he shrugged smiling. After a second, he dipped his head, trying to look into her eyes. "You'll be fine," he repeated, his hand tightening reassuringly around hers. "Come on, let's go."

Troy opened the door and got out, but Gabriella hesitated, her eyes finding the house again. There was a group of teens smoking on the front lawn and a couple more passed out on the front porch. She grimaced and Troy entered her line of vision, resting his chin on the passenger side window.

"If you don't want to come, I can take you home." She looked to him, expecting to find annoyance on his face, but instead only found compassion and understanding. "Really, it won't be a problem."

"No, no," she shook her head, getting out of the car. "It's fine." She smiled stepping out into the chilly January air. With a grin on his face, Troy took a hold of her hand and tucked it under his arm.

"Just stay close to me," he whispered reassuringly.

She nodded and turned back towards the house. They took the walk slow and Gabriella sighed halfway. "It's been a while since I've gone partying."

"You used to party?" Troy asked in surprise.

She stopped and looked to him. "Why do you say it like that?"

"Well," he looked to the ground and trailed off. "You just—I mean—you just don't look like the partying type, that's all."

An amused smile crossed her face. "There are a lot of things that you do not know about me, Troy Bolton."

"Really?" An air of fascination clouded his face, but he shook it away as quickly as it had come, a smile now hiding it. "Will you ever tell me some of those things?"

"Maybe."

He seemed to contemplate her answer. "Fair enough." He smiled slyly at her as they passed a boy who was smoking on the front steps. "Sooner or later, we will play twenty questions, agreed?"

She smiled as the loud music crashed into her ears. "Agreed," she yelled over the blaring music.

He smiled at her and was going to say something more but was ripped pulled backwards.

"TROY!!" A boy Gabriella faintly recognized as being a basketball player slung a compatible arm over the blue eyed teen's shoulders, his face twisted in an intoxicated grin. "My bratha from anotha motha. I'm so glad ya could make it!"

"Yeah," Troy smiled tightly, "some party Ethan."

"Thanks man," The boy replied in an uncontrollable slur. "My 'rents are gone so I figured this place could be put to some good use, yaknow."

Troy turned back to Gabriella and rolled his eyes. "I don't know how you come up with these brilliant plans, Ethan."

She just smiled and shook her head, laughing softly to herself.

Ethan, at the sound of his captain's praise, broke out into the biggest smile anyone had ever seen. "Troy, my man. There's beer pong downstairs, but you might have to wait a little bit because the first rounds just started. By all means, though, go and join a game. Also, if you want anything," here, the boy turned serious, if it were physically possible for anyone to be serious while they were drunk. "There's beer in the coolers out back and liquor in the dining room. I think some people have a game of 21 going already, but they wouldn't mind if you joined."

"Actually," Troy turned and motioned over his shoulder, "I'm here wit—"

"No," Ethan took him by the shoulders, "I insist. Su Casa Es Mi Casa," he paused, his eyebrows furrowing in thought, "or is it Mi Casa Es Su Casa?" He shrugged, not caring. "Anyway, everything in here is yours. Take whatever you want."

"That's a very generous offer. Thank you."

Ethan's chin sank down to his chest before it shot up in a nod. "No problem." The boy turned and yelled something into the living room, his words getting greeted by cheers before he staggered in himself.

Troy, rolling his eyes, turned back to Gabriella.

"I am so sorry."

"Troy, just because I'm here that doesn't mean you can't have fun." She held one of his hands. "Please, do whatever you want."

He sighed heavily and looked around, contemplating his options. Finally, he broke out into a smile. "Beer pong?"

"Downstairs?"

"Partners?"

"Us?"

"Yep."

"Now?"

"Uh-huh."

"Okay."

With his hand in hers, Troy led her through the crowded house, people parting like the red sea at the sight of him. They made their way down to the unfinished basement, and Gabriella nodded, impressed.

"Unfinished basements are the best place to play beer pong." She stated to Troy.

"And why is that?" A smile was twitching its way across his face.

"Because if you spill something, you don't have to try and dab it out of a carpet," She made a face. "Trust me. It's hell trying to."

"I trust you."

She smiled sideways at him. "Smart man."

Turning back to the action, Gabriella smiled at the organization of the games. A white board had been hung up on one of the far walls, team names and brackets drawn out with black marker. Clearly, everything had been set out before the games had started because she doubted anyone would have that good of handwriting after playing a couple of games.

Troy approached a boy sitting on a stool, a red plastic cup in his hand. "Hey Brian, where do I sign up."

The boy named Brian turned, and finding Troy standing behind him, jumped off the stool in excitement. "Troy! I was wondering when East High's reigning beer pong champion was going to show up."

Troy turned sheepishly to Gabriella, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Reigning Champion huh?" She gave him a teasing smile. "You should have told me I was in the presence of royalty."

"_Royalty_?" Brian laughed. "Girl, you're in the presence of _a God_." The boy turned back to Troy. "Anyways, if you want to join a game, Troy, you have to find a partner. I actually think Sharpay—"

"I already have a partner." Troy slung an arm around Gabriella, pulling her close. "She's my partner."

"Her?" The boy looked skeptical.

Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes. Taking a step forward, she surveyed the playing fields. "Nice tables. They aren't your standered ping-pong, are they?"

"No," Brian said hesitantly, eyeing her curiously. "They're specifically for beer pong. Made them myself."

She walked up to an empty table. "You got the foul lines and midway points pretty accurate. The dunk cups and the throw restriction line," She paused and turned to Brian, smiling. "Nice work."

"Thanks," Brian rubbed the back of his neck, "I guess."

"So, what are we playing?"

Confusion flashed across his face. "What do you mean?"

"Are we playing six, ten, or fifteen cups?"

At this, both Brian and Troy's mouths fell open.

"Fifteen?" Brian stammered.

Troy let out a choked laugh, stunned. "You've played a fifteen cup beer pong game before?"

_Try a tournament_, the voice in the back of her head replied smugly. Gabriella nodded her head slowly. "You haven't?"

"Well hell," Brian slapped Troy on the back, "It looks like you've found yourself a compatible partner, Troy. I'll give you a bye since you're the champ." He turned and marched over towards the white board, writing 'Beer Pong King and Crazy-Ass Chick' in one of the open bracket slots across from a team called 'Suck It!'.

"The King is here!" Someone yelled and the basement broke out into cheers and chorus chanting of Troy's name.

Troy smiled broadly and faced Gabriella. "Are you ready?"

"Lead the way," she motioned towards a table.

Nodding his head, the both of them walked over to an empty table, an almost identical replica of the wildcats crest was painted in the middle. Gabriella noted that they were using a ten cup system and that empty Bud Light cans littered the tables and floors. Though it was not her favorite beer, she could deal with it. _Amateurs_, she laughed to herself.

Taking her spot behind the throw line that had been drawn on the floor, Troy took his place next to her. A reasonable sized crowed had gathered around the table, eager to see the action.

"What is this, Troy?" A boy with dark hair asked from the opposite end of the table.

His partner crossed his arms over his chest. "You're insulting us if you think you can win with a handicap like that."

"Riley," Troy nodded to the dark haired boy before turning to the other, a chestnut, emerald eyed teen, "Caleb." He paused before smiling wolfishly. "I'm not playing with a handicap."

"I know who that is," Caleb said dryly, nodding towards Gabriella. "And she _is_ a handicap. A _big_ one."

Riley smiled dangerously at Gabriella. "This is no place for a decathlon nerd, sweety."

Gabriella stepped forward, her eyes flashing dangerously. She'd recognized them from the basketball game. They'd been sitting next to Sharpay, glaring daggers at her the whole time after she had talked to Troy. "House rules?" She demanded flatly.

Riley's eyes sharpened but he answered anyway. "Drink after a cup is hit or you drink twice as much. Re-racking, bounce pass blocking, snatching if it circles the rim and redemption."

"Bounce pass into the top cup takes away two?"

Caleb let a tight smile cross his face. "Of course."

Riley sighed and bounced a ping pong ball to Gabriella, who caught it with one hand. "Ladies first." He turned sideways to Caleb, smiling. "This is going—"

Gabriella bounced the white ball into the top cup effortlessly.

The crowd in the basement, apart from Troy who had a very amused grin on his face, stood in silence for a moment before letting out a chorus of 'Ohh' followed by loud cheers.

Gabriella smiled sweetly at the two stunned teens across from her. "Drink up boys."

**-XxX-**

She was so out of practice, it wasn't even funny.

It was only her third game and she was already seeing double.

"Okay, baby, all you have to do is focus," Troy's chin was positioned on her right shoulder, most of his weight resting on her back. His breath was hot against her ear as he motioned his hands drunkenly towards the last cup on the opposite end of the table. "Just focus." He motioned vigorously with his hands again. "You got this. All you have to do is focus. Focus."

"Gotcha," she nodded, trying to focus her split vision. Sticking her tongue out in concentration, she tried to ignore the obscene gestures Kyle and Brittany were making from behind the row of cups on the other end of the table. They were trying to distract her and she had to give them credit, what they were doing was funny as hell and had actually worked a couple of times.

Their antics were the reason why the current championship game was so close. She had shanked at least two shot because one of Brittany's faces was just too horrific, she didn't know what to do with herself. Gabriella had ended up pegging the small ball at the other girls face instead of trying to aim for the cups.

Now, both teams had only one cup left. And Brittany and Kyle had missed both their chances at redemption.

Troy and Gabriella could win. But they both would have to make their shots.

With the ball resting on the tips of her thumb and forefinger, Gabriella kept her arm at an angle and threw with a gentle elbow motion.

It left her fingertips and arched towards the ceiling before dropping deftly into the remaining red cup on the other end of the table.

Troy kissed her cheek as cheers erupted throughout the basement. "That's my girl."

"You better make it." She threatened, turning to him. "I'm serious. If I got drunk for nothing Troy Bolton…."

"Hey, have a little faith, would ya?" An uncontrolled smile was on his face and he stepped forward. Squinting his eyes, he placed the small white ball next to his temple, motioning it forward slowly before bringing it back again. He did this a couple more times before squaring his shoulders and sticking out his tongue like Gabriella.

"Envision it. Envision the ball going in," Gabriella coached from beside him, hands directing towards the final cup. "Just," she motioned with her hands more, "—if you think it's going in, it will. Just focus, Troy. Mind over matter, you got this."

Like shooting a free throw, he used the force from his legs, lifting his body onto the balls of his feet as he pushed the small ball towards the last cup.

It plopped down into the container almost as cleanly as Gabriella's shot.

Through the cheers from the crowd and the groans from Kyle and Brittany, Troy opened his arms and tilted his head at Gabriella, a smile plastered across his face.

"I told you so," he joked.

She jumped into his arms. "There wasn't a doubt in my mind, Wildcat."

And then something astonishing happened.

Brittany, captain of the cheerleading squad walked over and tapped Gabriella on the shoulder. Turing to the small blond, Gabriella was surprised to see a smile on the other girls face.

"That was a hell of a game, Gabriella," Brittany reached forward and wrapped her arms around Gabriella in a tight, but swift hug.

"Uhh," Gabriella didn't know what to say. Since when did Brittany know her name? "Thanks?"

The blond pulled away, lifting an eyebrow. "Rematch sometime?"

Gabriella broke out into a smile. "It would be an honor."

"Excellent."

As the blond walked away, Gabriella turned to Troy. "What's happening?"

"You're crumbling the system, Gabriella Montez." He smiled brightly at her.

Gabriella laughed. "Who would have thought?" After several people patted her on the back and congratulated her on a fist name basis for the win, she turned back to Troy. "I just realized that I need to go to the bathroom."

"Upstairs, the first right and then the second left. It's the door at the end of that hall." Troy instructed. "Do you need me to go with you?"

She gave him a doubtful look. "I think I can manage."

"Okay," he raised his hands in mock surrender. "I'll be right here."

She nodded and made her way towards the stairs slowly. She was still seeing double and try climbing stairs when you can't see straight. Not an easy task.

She somehow managed to make it up the stairs and through the crowded house. But for the death of her, she couldn't remember the directions.

"Was it a left and then a right," She questioned herself, hopping up and down because she had to go so bad, "or was it a right and then a left?"

In that instant, she heard a flushing noise from the door to her left. With a sigh of relief, she entered the bedroom and came face to face with a very unsteady, very drunk, Sharpay Evans.

"_What_ are _you_ doing _here_?" The blond said dangerously.

"Can I get back to you on that?" Gabriella rushed past the other girl and ran into the bathroom. After she was done, she opened the door hesitantly, only to find Sharpay, hip cocked to one side, arms crossed across her chest, standing outside the bathroom door.

With a sigh, Gabriella emerged, walking towards the blond.

"What are you doing here?" Sharpay pointed, taking an unsteady step forward. Her legs gave out and Gabriella rushed forward, catching the blond under the arms before she hit the floor.

Grumbling under her breath, Gabriella dragged Sharpay to the edge of the bed, resting the blonds' back against the fluffy end.

"Why are you helping me?" Sharpay slurred. "I hate you."

Gabriella laughed softly. "Yeah, well, I don't like you much either."

Sharpay roller her head to the side lazily, "No, I mean, I really don't like you. Like, I hate you with the fiery passion of a million suns hate. Or I hate you so much that—"

"Sharpay, I get it," Gabriella nodded heavily. "But why? Why go through the trouble?"

Sharpay giggled, slipping sideways into the brunette. Under normal circumstances, Gabriella would have been revolted by the blonds touch, but right now, she didn't care. "You don't know why?" Sharpay laughed again. "God, I guess you aren't as smart as everyone says you are."

Gabriella's eyes sharpened. "I would really like to know, Sharpay. You've kind of made my high school experience hell."

"I'm jealous of you, silly," Sharpay laughed again, like a small child spilling a secret. She just didn't realize how big of a secret she had told.

"You're drunk," Gabriella rolled her eyes. "You don't know what you're saying."

"That's just an excuse…people use when they say too much…" The blond retorted dryly before slipping forward and falling face first into Gabriella's lap.

Finally realizing that the blond had just fainted and hadn't died, Gabriella rested her head back against the bed. She rolled her eye. "Wow, the most popular girl in school is jealous of _me_," she mumbled, her eyes closing.

She didn't know how long she sat like that before she passed out.

**-XxX-**

"_Dude, I just heard Sharpay Evans is passed out in one of the bedrooms upstairs."_

Troy turned around and glanced to the group of teens. Gabriella still hadn't come back and he _had _promised not to move, but it was Sharpay.

His protective side dragged him to the base of the basement stairs and compelled him up to the crowded kitchen. He spied Ryan talking with Martha Cox next to the refrigerator.

"Hey, Ryan," he greeted.

"Troy," Ryan smiled. "Sorry about the loss man, it sure was a heartbreaker."

Troy sighed. "Yeah, I know. But we still have a spot in the State tournament so I better see you at the games."

"I'm there man."

"Cool," Troy smiled and then remember Sharpay. "Oh, I heard that your sister was passed out in one of the bedrooms, maybe it's time to leave. I still have to find Gabriella too."

Ryan groaned and set down his water bottle. "I'll go get her," he sighed.

"I'm going to come too, just to make sure she's okay."

Ryan nodded and led the way to the master bedroom hallway. "Did they say which—never mind." Ryan stepped towards a door that was already cracked a little, troy close behind him.

Opening the door, Troy couldn't help the surprise that washed across his face.

Both Gabriella and Sharpay were clearly passed out, but the blond was draped across the brunette's legs. They looked like two drunken friends that had had way too much fun together. Which clearly was not the case. Obviously. He was completely mystified about how this could have happened.

"I can't believe this." Ryan said, almost as surprised at Troy.

Troy didn't know what to say. "What should we do?"

"I don't think Sharpay will be very happy if she wakes up like this," Ryan walked forward and brought out his phone, "But, for a little collateral." The brother snapped one, then two pictures with his phone. He held up the small device in Troy's direction, "just in case."

Troy smiled. "She's going to give you hell."

"Nothing I can't handle."

Troy walked forward and placed his hands delicately on Gabriella's shoulders.

"Gabriella?" he shook her gently. "Gabriella?"

She groaned opening her eyes a fraction of an inch. "…yeah?"

"I'm going to take you home now, is that okay?"

"…fine," she mumbled, "but Sharpay…"

"It's okay, Ryan's going to take her home too."

Gabriella nodded slowly, her eyes falling closed again. She went limp and he hauled her up into his arms bridal style.

"Umm, question?" Ryan asked, glancing from Sharpay to Gabriella in Troy's arms. "How did you do that?"

"Lift with the legs, buddy."

**-XxX-**

Gabriella knew something was wrong.

But glancing sideways to Troy, his smiling face and all, just told her that he had no idea what was going on. Because the black sedan behind them was getting rather close.

"This guys really riding my ass," Troy adjusted his rear view mirror and then rolled down his window. Sticking his arm out, he waved the car onward. With screeching tires, the black sedan swerved into the opposite lane and sped up until both cars were parallel.

Except, the sedan didn't pass them.

Instead, the passenger side window rolled down and a teens smiling face appeared, the boy's hands griping the steering wheel. But the teen in the driver's side of the car wasn't important because the passenger was shrouded in darkness, and Gabriella sucked in a sharp breath.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head.

The Dark One smiled at her and then blew a kiss, his red eyes burning into her soul. "See you in a sec," he sneered.

The sedan swerved sideways into them.

Glass shattered inward in a halo around Gabriella's face, mostly missing her but still excruciatingly clear through her terror-widened eyes. Each flashing glitter was a replica of the black sedan that had led them to this. Concrete was flying past the broken hole of the passenger window and she could feel the frame of the car bending as easily as wire into her side, molding her into an agonizingly unnatural shape. They were flipping over and over again and a sickening sound came from Troy's mouth.

Nothing was in slow motion.

It was the opposite actually, her fear sped time forward toward what she knew was coming. For a split second — because that was all she had — her mind and eyes flashed sideways to Troy.

He'd forgotten to put on his seat belt.

The small Civic tumbled one more time before sliding to a stop with a screeching moan. Gabriella wondered if anyone else was hurt or if Troy, whose back she'd heard break on the first revolution, and herself would be the only victims of this accident in this dream.

She couldn't feel anything. But she knew for a fact that if the Dark One wanted her to feel pain, she would have been dead by now. She almost thanked him for the numbness. She couldn't feel anything except for the blood rushing to her head because she was hanging upside down.

Liquid ran into her eyes and she blinked, realizing that it was blood. It was rather weird, knowing you were hurt beyond help, but not being able to feel the consequences.

Gabriella's body was slow in response. Her arms and hands took seconds longer than they normally did to work, but when she clicked the seat belt button, she feel to the cabin roof just as quickly as she would have any other time. She looked around, panic crawling up her spin when she found no Troy and spied the massive hole in the windshield.

He'd been thrown from the car.

Gabriella hauled herself out of the shattered passenger side window, dragging herself with her arms because she couldn't feel anything below her stomach. Bleeding out on the asphalt in a dream wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be.

She turned her head sideways and finally found Troy. He was feet away from her, his body so twisted that even though she knew it was all a dream, just the mere sight of him made bile rise in her throat.

"You two really aren't very popular, are you?"She caught the casual walk of the Dark One out of her peripheral vision.

"Why don't…you just leave me alone?" She wasn't in pain, but her breaths were coming in short gasps.

"I did leave you alone for a little bit," he knelt down next to her. "But you know how I get board easily. I bumped into this boys dream and couldn't resist. Especially because this is all him."

Confusion crossed her face. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm just a spectator in this one, Montez," he smiled at her and she found it unnerving that he was enjoying himself. "This dream is one hundred percent original. I have changed nothing."

"What does that mean?"

He smiled at her for a moment. "That means someone _really_ wants you two dead." He moved his head from side to side, as if contemplating his answer before looking around and locking eyes with Troy's body. "Well, they just want _him_ dead, actually. You were just along for the ride." His face broke out into a broad smile and he started to laugh at his own joke. "Get it? Along for the ride? Because you were just in a car crash." He laughed again.

She glared at him. "You make me sick." A snarl crawled its way out of her throat instead of her own voice.

"I'm surprised that you have this much energy left," he tilted his head curiously at her. "Let me see if I can do something about that."

Her eyes grew so wide she felt like they were going to fall out of her head. "No, don't, please." She tried to move away from him when he reached out a hand, but her body didn't respond.

He laid his hand on her forehead.

The pain snapped her into reality so fast and violently that she rolled to the side and threw up. Just as suddenly, she was overwhelmed with a fit of coughing. The scraping in her lungs only added to the new feeling of drowning that was embracing her battered body. Her chest shook as each breath left her lungs, but she finally realized that her ribs had been crushed on the third or fourth revolution of the crash.

"Now," he gave her a stern look, "are you going to be nice to me?"

"Go fuc—"

"Now, now." He gave her a stern glare, cutting her off. "There's no reason for language."

She spit the blood in her mouth at him, but it passed right through him.

"Well," he locked his jaw. "I can see that you're going to be difficult. I guess that's my cue to leave."

He stood and surveyed her, tilting his head in that creepy way that only he could pull off. He sighed finally, reaching his hands above his head in a stretch. How someone could be so nonchalant in a situation like this, even in a dream, was beyond her imagining.

"I do have to say that that boy's luck," he turned to look at Troy's unmoving body on the pavement, shaking his head, "has gone downhill ever since he met you."

"I thought you were leaving."

He turned back to her, his face, or as much as she could interpret, was firm, blank. "Fair warning, Gabriella. Things are only going to get worse." An impish smile crawled its way across his face.

"Much worse."

**-XxX-**

She shot up and smashed her head into something.

Pain splintered across her forehead and she dropped helplessly back to the bed, curses flying from her mouth.

"Oww," She looked over to Troy who was rubbing his own forehead furiously. "Warn a guy would you?"

"Sorry," she grumbled, pressing her thumb and forefinger to the bridge of her nose. "What a headache." She shook her head, but that only made the pain split across her temples.

"That would be the start of a very big hangover," Troy smiled, placing a wet rage on her forehead.

She nodded slowly. "I haven't forgotten what they feel like, Troy."

He stared at her for a second, reveling in the fact that she really wasn't who he thought she was, and shook his head. "You are getting more and more interesting by the second, Gabriella Montez." He paused and a childish smile spread across his face. "If that really is your name, of course."

She rolled her eyes, at least that didn't hurt. "Oh, please. I'm not some super intelligent spy running from the mob. Sorry to disappoint, but I'm no one special."

"I have to disagree," he found one of her hands, threading his fingers through hers. "You're someone very special." He paused for a beat, "after all, you can walk through people's dreams. What's not special about that?" Smiling, he moved his head from side to side. "And, you have a pretty wicked BP game."

"I have my moments."

He smiled at her and then something; she didn't know what crept across his face. "I just got off the phone with my dad, he says I have an appointment at the hospital to get some x-rays tomorrow after school…"he trailed off and Gabriela finally identified the emotion.

Troy Bolton was scared.

"I'll go with you," she said reassuringly. "You'll be fine."

"Thank you," he brushed a stray hair out of her eye.

She forced a smile to hide her breaking heart. She hadn't forgotten the dream. And though she had been in both of them too, it was what the Dark One had said that scared her more than her own death.

Someone wanted _Troy _dead.

And maybe it wasn't so much a coincidence because it was the second time since meeting him that she'd dreamt about the death of Troy Bolton.

**.-.-.- Insert dramatic Music -.-.-.**

**(Review!)**


	9. The Truth Will Set You Free

_LAST TIME- _

_She forced a smile to hide her breaking heart. She hadn't forgotten the dream. And though she had been in both of them too, it was what the Silent One had said that scared her more than her own death._

_Someone wanted Troy dead._

_And maybe it wasn't so much a coincidence because it was the second time since meeting him that she'd dreamt about the death of Troy Bolton._

----------

**Chapter Nine:**

_The Truth Will Set You Free  
_

-----

During her last period, the dream came again.

Except this time, Gabriella was the driver of the black sedan.

"We need to do it now," she felt herself say, but her voice was not her own. The figure in the passenger seat nodded his head once.

With Troy's white truck in sigh, her knuckles unconsciously tightened around the steering wheel. She was excited and nervous at the same time. But whoever was driving was having second thoughts.

The person in the passenger seat turned to her. "Do it now or we won't get another chance."

She felt her head nod grimly and her foot pressed harder on the gas. She sped around Troy's car, a choked cry echoing in her head when she saw the surprise wash over his face.

She slammed her car into his.

The white truck was no match for the bigger suburban and Gabriella cringed inwardly as the two cars traded paint again. With one last shove, Troy's truck slipped over the embankment and disappeared beneath the smooth surface of the icy lake that ran parallel with the road.

**-XxX-**

Her eyes snapped open and she was greeted with a blinding white light. Squinting, she rubbed at her eyes sleepily before glancing towards the board. Finding the limit of a function as x approaches a fixed constant was not one of her strong points, but she knew them well enough to slack off a little in class.

Grunting, she hauled herself out of her seat as the bell rang. Maneuvering through the crowded halls of East High, she paused briefly to respond to Brittany's hello and smiled sweetly at a boy who she vaguely remembered from the party.

Finally she reached her locker. Resting lazily against it she slammed the metal three times before clocking in the combination.

"I hear you had fun last night."

Groaning, Gabriella shook her head and continued emptying out her book bag.

"Gabriella," Taylor walked around and rested against the row of lockers. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to that party?"

"Because I knew you were going to make a big deal about it," Gabriella replied.

"A big deal." Taylor stated plainly. "Who's making a big deal?"

"What big deal?"

The two girls turned to find Troy Bolton and Chad Danforth standing behind them. Troy was beaming in the direction of Gabriella while Chad smiled slightly at Taylor.

"No big deal," Gabriella shook her head, leaning forward to kiss him on the cheek.

Chad seemed to fidget slightly at this. "Hey Taylor." He nodded in the girl's direction.

Troy took a hold of one of Gabriella's hands. "Are you ready?"

Gabriella, for a second, had no idea what he was talking about. It must have showed on her face because Troy dipped his head so that he could look her in the eyes.

"The doctor's appointment after school. You said you would go with me."

"Oh, of course," her heart fluttered at his panic. So, he really did want her to go with him. She smiled, "just let me get my stuff."

She turned back to her locker, ignoring Taylor's clenched jaw and glares.

Chad grabbed Troy around the arm. "You have a doctor's appointment today?"

"Yeah, for my knee," Troy eyed his best friend pointedly. "Didn't I tell you?"

Chad locked his jaw. "No, you didn't."

Troy paused for a second before shrugging nonchalantly. "Well, I do and Gabriella said she would come with me." Off his best friend's silence, Troy sighed heavily, turning to the other boy. "Come on man, don't give me that look."

"That girl—" Chad pointed at Gabriella but trailed off, his eye's locking onto Taylor.

"What about that girl?" Troy shrugged nonchalantly, smiling.

Before Chad could retaliate, Taylor's voice snapped sharply through the crowded hallway.

"Wǒ bù kě néng xiāng xìn nǐ wéi tā diē dǎo!" (I can't believe you're falling for him!) Taylor's voice was low, like a hiss and she rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"Wèi shén me méi yǒu? Nǐ xǐ huan Zhà dé." (Why not? You like Chad.) Gabriella retorted with a sigh.

Taylor straightened against the lockers. "Nà shi bù tong dì." (That's different.)

"Dāng rán tā shì," (Of course it is.) Gabriella rolled her eyes.

Taylor eyed the petite brunette before sighing deeply and shaking her head softly. "Nǐ zhī dao wǒ dān xīn nǐ." (You know I'm just worried about you.)

Gabriella removed her last book from her book bag, placing it in her locker. "Wǒ rèn shi Tài lè." ( I know Taylor.)

Turning back around to the two stunned boys, Taylor let a smirk crawl across her face. "Huò dé mei mei." (Have fun, little sister.) Taylor hugged Gabriella and motioned hesitantly to Chad. "You heading out?"

Chad nodded dumbly, surprised that he could understand her. "Uh, yeah." He turned back to Troy. "Call me later, man."

"You will call me later, Dong luh mah?(are we clear here?)" Taylor ordered firmly and Gabriella nodded.

Chad, smiling sheepishly to Taylor, followed her down the hall. Mixing in with the crowd they vanished in seconds.

Gabriella turned to Troy. "Ready when you are, Wildcat."

"Were you—" Troy closed his open mouth, shaking his head. "—Were you just speaking—_Chinese_?"

She wrapped her hand around one of his arms and started walking, dragging him slightly. "Yeah," she smiled at him. "I know, it's weir—"

"So cool." Troy smiled broadly. "Where did you learn how?"

She shrugged. "I picked it up from some of my friends at my old school and Taylor had to learn it because she went to the Beijing Olympics in China with her family."

Troy pushed open one of the doors that lead to the parking lot. "Old school?" He asked, trying to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible.

"I haven't always gone to East High, Troy."

"I know that," he paused, "I just—it's weird to think that you've gone anywhere but East High."

"Why is that weird?" She asked turning to him.

He stepped up to the passenger side door of his truck, slammed his fist against the rusted metal once before opening it. "Because it feels like I've known you for forever."

Gabriella slipped into the seat as Troy jumped into the bed of the truck and over the other side to get to his door. Putting the keys into the ignition, he turned to her, "Can you teach me some?"

"Chinese?"

Hr turned on the car. "Yeah."

"Well," she grinned at him, "what would be the point in teaching you? You would know what me and Taylor talk about."

He grinned back at her, pulling out of the parking spot. "I knew it. You were talking about me."

Gabriella's face fell. "And if I told you we weren't?" she retorted.

"I'd know you were lying."

**-XxX-**

"Okay, another one," Troy paused and scrunched up his eyes in thought, pulling to a stop in front of the red light. He turned to Gabriella, a smile spreading across his face. "Shit."

Gabriella looked offended. "I can't tell you how to say 'shit' in Chinese."

His face dropped. "What not?"

"Because I don't know how to say 'shit' in Chinese," she folded her arms across her chest.

Troy gave her a doubtful look. "You can carry on whole conversations with Taylor and I'm supposed to believe that you don't know how to say 'shit' in Chinese?"

"Pick another one," she deadpanned.

Sighing, Troy accelerated as the light turned green. "Okay, okay," he paused for a moment. "Here's one. _Him_. How do you say _him_?"

"_Him_." Gabriella repeated, blinking. "Well, what context do you want it to be in?"

"Just, how do you say it? Like, _him_. He, _him_. It's _him_, _he_ did it."

"Tā," Gabriella answered.

Troy looked over to her. "Tā?"

"Yep," she nodded.

Troy contemplated this as he pulled into the hospital parking lot. "Okay, I have another one for you." He said getting out of his car.

"Shoot." Gabriella followed him through the sliding glass doors. She cringed slightly at the strong smell of anticipant and blinding white colors.

"I hate hospitals," Troy grumbled under his breath making his way towards the receptionist.

"Wǒ wù yī yuàn," she mumbled before translating. "I hate hospitals."

Troy smiled roguishly at the receptionist and Gabriella could plainly see a red blush creep across the young woman's face. "Troy Bolton," he said smoothly. "I have an appointment to get some x-rays of my knee."

Gabriella took her place next to Troy and hooked one of her arms through his. A vein in the receptionist's neck popped and her eyes sharpened considerably. "Let me check Mr. Bolton."

Troy nodded, oblivious of the power struggle between the two women. "Thank you."

Two mouse clicks and a couple of keypads later, the receptionist, who's wooden triangle sigh read Christina, handed him a clipboard and a pen. "I need you to fill these out and then you can proceeded through those door, the doctor has been waiting for you."

Troy scribbled his name down on the papers and filled them out before handing them back to the receptionist. "Through those doors?"

"Yes sir."

Troy passed through the double doors, Gabriella still wrapped around one of his arms. A Doctor greeted them, a clip board hiding his face.

"Troy Bolton?" the doctor lowered the board.

"Yes, sir," Troy said hesitantly.

"Everything's going to be fine son," the doctor looked Troy up and down, but stiffened suddenly when he spied the girl attached to the young boys arm.

"_Ms. Montez_," the doctor said in surprise. "_Gabriella Montez_? What are you doing here?"

It took Gabriella a second to realize who the man in front of her was. "_Dr. Davidson_?" Her mouth dropped open when he smiled. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I was transferred," his voice was tight, "they needed more trauma, _decent_ trauma doctors here in Albuquerque."

"And that somehow translates to x-rays?"

"It's my day off. I came in for some extra hours. This is where they needed help."

"Well, that's…that's…"she trailed off.

Dr. Davidson's face softened. "It's good to see you Gabriella." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, sighing deeply through a smile. "And I mean that."

"Thank you," she said softly.

Troy stood beside the two, glancing from one to the other in confusion. Finally, he raised his hand like he was in class. "Question." The two turned to him. "How do you two know each other?"

"Well, I was—" at this, the doctor turned to Gabriella, almost like asking permission to continue.

"He—He helped me get through a rough time last year." Gabriella finished and Troy had to strain to hear her.

"Oh—well in that case, I guess I should thank you Dr. Davidson for helping her." Troy tried to make the situation less awkward.

"I was just doing my job," The older man sighed, "On that note, if you would follow me, Mr. Bolton."

The man clad in white motioned down a hallway and strode to an empty room. Troy walked inside and hopped up onto the uncomfortable table that was poorly cushioned. Gabriella slunk in after the two men, standing in the corner, eyes tilted towards the floor.

"You're going to have to put this on," Dr. Davidson pulled out a paper hospital gown from a drawer and Troy groaned. "I know, I know. But you have to do it. Take everything off except your boxers," he turned to glance over his shoulder to Gabriella, "you can keep those on. I'll come back in a little bit."

Gabriella looked up at the sound of the closing door. "I'll get out so you can change."

"No," Troy grabbed for her arm, "I don't want you to leave."

She nodded her head and he started to take off his shirt.

"I guess you want to know, right?"

He paused in the unbuckling of his belt and looked to her. "I don't want to force you to. If you don't want to talk about it, I'm completely—_completely_—fine with that." He shrugged softly. "But I have been a little curious."

"I'm—it's just—" She sighed heavily and leaned against the wall, lifting her head up to the ceiling. "I don't want to lie to you anymore."

Her shoulders started to shake ever so slightly and it took him a moment to realize that she was crying.

"Shh, shh," he took her by the shoulders and guided her to the table where she sat down. "It's okay, it's okay. Gabriella, shh, don't cry, please." He wiped the tears away as quickly as they had come.

"I'm okay," she shook her head, taking a deep breath.

"Are you sure?" he asked in concern.

She blinked through her red eyes. "Yes." She paused and then patted the space next to her on the table. "Come on, Wildcat. It's time for 20 questions."

He blinked in surprise and then took his seat next to her. "Do I get to ask first, or do you?"

"I just want you to listen."

"But that's not 20 questions." He tried to joke.

She forced a small smile. "Please, Troy."

He nodded not saying anything and she took one of his hands. She cleared her throat softly. "You are very popular. Captain of the basketball team. Everyone looks up to you, everyone and anyone wants to be you or has heard of you. You're the King of East High." She paused and sighed deeply, licking her lips. "So when I say that my reputation at my old school would make you look like some little decathlon nerd," at this, she turned to him, locking with his eyes. "I want you to understand my full meaning."

Troy swallowed consciously, nodding again.

"Everything came easy to me. I was the perfect student. My teachers loved me—to the point where they allowed me to skip class on certain days because they knew the subject matter would annoy me." She laughed sadly, running a hand over her face, "but if you were to check any of my transcripts, they would tell you that I never missed a day of class. _Never_."

"That must be nice," Troy grunted.

"I was living a lie," she snapped darkly. "No one should be given that much leeway. Not even me."

Troy tightened his hand around hers. "Please, continue."

She closed her eyes for a beat longer than a standard blink. "I was the perfect student, but I was also the perfect teen." At this, she smiled slightly. "There was no top of the social tower at my old school. I _was_ the top. No one was my equal. My beer pong record is the longest streak in the school's history and I'm still—well, at least I think—the leader in number of consecutive shots taken in 5 minutes."

"And that number would be?" Troy questioned out of curiosity.

She grinned. "Seventeen."

He whistled. "Jesus, Gabi." Shaking his head, he looked to her. "Forgive me for saying this, but you sounded like one hell of a girl."

"I was on a downward spiral to self destruction," Gabriella said tightly. "I lied to my parent's every day."

Troy's ears perked up at the word 'parents'. The plural meant that she had a father. He'd never personally met her father. Troy hadn't even known that she'd actually had one. It was the first time that she'd mentioned him.

"My mom always says 'you always do the right thing, Gabriella'" a pained look crossed her face and she shook her head sadly. "If only she had known what I was doing."

Troy reached forward and wiped a stray tear from the corner of her eye and she cleared her throat again. "And then, one night last year, it all caught up to me."

She paused, letting silence overtake them in the small room. Troy was suddenly finding it hard to breath. Gabriella Montez was going to tell him her innermost secret. The secret that was tearing her up inside. He wasn't sure he was ready to hear it.

"The night was cold, it might have been snowing, I can't remember. But it was the annual 15 cup beer pong tournament, and of course, yours truly was there."

"15 cup _tournament_?" Troy choked out.

Gabriella nodded slightly. "As you can guess, I was completely trashed afterwards," a grimace crossed her face. "People who I thought were my friends turned out not to be. You never really want to be at the top of the tower because there's always someone who wants to take that power from you and make it their own. A boy—," she shook he head, "—I can't remember who—forced me into a bedroom—"

Troy touched his forehead to the side of her head and gripped her head tightly. "If you want to stop, you can." And it wasn't so much for her sake as it was for his. If she told him what he thought she was going to say, it would break his heart into so many pieces, he didn't think he would be able to put it back together again.

She shook her head, bottom lip quivering. "I need to get this out." Talking a deep breath, she tried to control the humming-bird like beating of her heart. "I was on the bed, this boy on top of me," she paused, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from crying, "and the next thing I knew, I was waking up on the floor and two hours had passed."

Troy sighed inwardly. Anger bubbled in his stomach at the thought of someone…well, he was at least thankful that she didn't remember. However twisted that was.

"The party was over and I was thankfully smart enough to realize that I couldn't drive," she sighed painfully. "I called my father and asked him to pick me up."

At her pause, Troy asked, "I didn't know you had a fath—"

"Please, Troy," she looked to him and his heart broke a little more at the deep pain in her chocolate eyes. "Let me finish. I'm almost done."

He nodded solemnly.

"My father was so focused on chewing me out that he barley paid any attention to the road." She took her head into her hands. "He didn't see the car swerve into our lane. He couldn't veer away, we just got too close…"

"You were in a car accident…" Troy whispered.

She nodded and sniffed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "People say that my father died on impact, but I swear on my life that he was whispering "everything's going to be okay Gabs" to me after the crash. Over and over again. I could hear him, I swear."

"That explains the scar."

She looked to him. "How do you know about that?"

"I saw it the first time you talked to me in the Library," his face was blank. "You stretched. Your shirt road up."

She nodded grimly and continued her story. "I had no idea about my father. I couldn't see straight." She reached for one of his hands and brought it up to the back of her head. "I hit my head on something. Hard."

His voice caught in his throat. There, among the flowing dark hair, was a reasonable sized bump. He could feel it. Feel the curve of the raised skin and small healing rivets from the stitches. Dropping his hand from the back of her head he tried to swallow down the bile rising in his throat.

Gabriella stood from the small table and faced him. "Our car was thrown into the center railing when we were hit. Metal shrapnel pierced the windshield." She lifted up her shirt and although he had seen the scar before, he would never get used to it.

There, marring the perfect tan skin of her stomach was a thick scar the height of a human hand. "I was pinned to my seat by a metal beam that had flown through the windshield. Here," she dropped her shirt and slipped the left side off her shoulder, "and here." She ran her hand over a smaller, circular scar on her shoulder.

Sighing deeply, she looked up into his blue eyes."Do you know what alcohol does to your blood?"

He sat in silence for a moment before realization downed on him. "It thins it out."

She nodded her head grimly. "I was bleeding to death. The amount of alcohol I consumed combined with my injuries." She gave a helpless shrug. "My blood couldn't clot quickly enough. I was bleeding faster than a normal human would in my situation." She shook her head, sighing, and then asked another question. "Do you know how long it takes for a person to bleed out?"

Troy shook his head numbly but a voice in the back of his head yelled at him that he didn't want to know.

"Seven minutes. It normally takes a human being seven minutes to bleed out to the point where they can't be saved." Her voice grew deathly quiet and goose bumps appeared on his arms when she spoke next. "But in my case, becasue of the amount of alcohol, it was...four." She whispered. "I was pinned to my seat, half conscious, with my dead father next to me and I knew—_I knew_—I had only four minutes to live."

"That's horrible." Troy felt like he needed to say something, but his words seemed so meaningless for the story. Horrible wasn't a strong enough word to describe the feelings flowing from Gabriella's eyes. He swallowed and forced his voice to respond. "How did—how did you –survive?"

She laughed. "Honestly, I have no idea." She shrugged and wiped her wet eyes on her shoulder. "I remember seeing unfamiliar faces in front of me. They were shouting something important, but I couldn't hear them." She motioned vaguely with her hands. "Flashes of light and images. I do remember Andrew—Dr. Davidson—talking to me sternly. Telling me everything was going to be okay and that he was going to take care of me, but after that..." She shrugged and sat down on the table. Taking a deep breath, she tried to control her shaking voice. "I woke up weeks later, realizing that my father was dead and it was all my fault."

"Don't say that," he was in front of her in seconds. "Don't you dare think that. Ever."

"How can you say that after hearing my story?"

"Because I know for a fact that you would never do anything to endanger someone else," he said sternly. "You are a good person Gabriella Montez. Don't ever think otherwise."

Her eyes started to tear up and her lip started to quiver. "…Troy…"

"You. Are. A. Good. Person." He punctuated each word with a soft, quick kiss. Taking her face in his hands, he looked her sternly in the eyes. "That was not your fault. You could do nothing to stop the outcome. It was out of your hands."

She nodded her head ever so softly.

"Good." He leaned forward again, placing his lips against hers. But he did not pull away. Her hands went up into his hair and he wrapped his arms around her small body. He was not going to leave her, his arms tightening again.

A throat cleared loudly.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Troy's head whipped towards the door so fast, he thought he got whiplash.

Dr. Davidson was standing at the door, smiling at the two teens over the top of his glasses.

Troy looked down and his cheeks grew hot.

Where had his damn pants gone?

He remembered unbuckling them, but when had they fallen off? Groaning out loud, he finally realized that he had been caught kissing Gabriella in nothing but his basketball boxers.

"Mr. Bolton, are you ready?" The doctor lifted an eyebrow, "or should I come back?"

Troy nodded rapidly, throwing the paper gown over his head. "I'm ready."

The doctor motioned for him to follow and Troy took a step towards the door, only to pause and turn back to Gabriella. "I will never let anything bad happen to you." He gave her a quick kiss and hurried to follow the fleeting doctor.

Catching up to Dr. Davidson, Troy cleared his throat. "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for, Mr. Bolton?" The doctor smiled. "I haven't even done your x-rays yet. By all means I could be telling you that you have torn your ACL and are out for the rest of the season."

"No. I mean," Troy shook his head and locked eyes with the older man. "Thank you for saving her life, Andrew."

**-XxX-**

Gabriella sighed and leaned against the doorframe, touching her fingers to her lips for about the third time since Troy had left.

"_Gabriella Montez?_"

She felt a breath of hot air near her neck. Whipping around so fast, her hair smacked the boy standing behind her in the face. He rubbed at his eyes as a smile curved its way across his lips.

"Damn, Montez, warn a guy, would you?"

She froze, trying to force air into her lungs. "What are you doing here?"

The 6'1 teen was blond and had the eyes of the purest emerald. His favorite pastime was saying crude, flirtatious comments just to get a reaction out of those who hated it. He was about as superficial as they came and knew that he was drop dead gorgeous, frequently calling himself a gift to the female inhabitants of the world. His ego rivaled and quite possibly surpassed that of Terrell Owens and the entire population of girls at his school worshiped him like a god.

And though she hated to admit it, Gabriella used to be one of them.

When the boy in front of her didn't answer, she lowered her voice dangerously. "_What are you doing here?_" She bit out furiously.

The boy, completely oblivious to the hostility, shrugged. "East High was chosen to host the State tournament. All the teams are arriving today and tomorrow from all over the state."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Geez, Gabriella." He smiled childishly at her. "Chill, would you?"

"I am not going to chill until you answer my question and then go crawl back underneath the rock you came from!"

Tilting his head to the side, the boy smirked at her. "You didn't honestly think that we weren't going to make it to States, did you?"

"That _still_ doesn't answer my question," she snapped. "What are you doing _here_? In _this_ hospital?"

"Oh, well," he flicked out his right hand, a bruise visible on his wrist. "I think I did something to my wrist in practice the other day. I'm here to get some x-rays."

She rolled her eyes at her bad luck. "I hope you broke it. Really, I do."

A look of mock hurt crossed his face and he held a hand over his heart. "Gabriella that really hurt."

She tightened her jaw at his sarcasm. "Screw you."

"Is this foreplay?" He leaned in close, grinning at her. "Because there's a room right over there..."

"You bastar—" she was in the process of pulling back a fist when a gentle hand found its way around hers.

"Gabriella." Troy appeared behind her, eyeing the other boy hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

"Troy!" Gabriella greeted the blue eyed teen quickly.

"Do you know this guy, Gabriella?" Troy questioned, gesturing to the handsome boy standing next to her.

Gabriella, for the first time in her life, was speechless. "Yeah…uh," she mumbled uncertainly. "He's…well he's…"

The emerald eyed teen smiled, enjoying the awkward situation Gabriella was in. "Colt Winchester—," he stuck out his hand in greeting to Troy. "—I'm her ex-boyfriend."

**.-.-.- Insert Dramatic Music -.-.-.**

**(Review!!)**

**Author's Note:** Okay, first off, I want to express my aggravation with just how hard it is to get English to Chinese translations that aren't drawn out characters. On that subject, these translations are extremely sketchy, so please, take them with a grain of salt. And "why Chinese" you ask? "Why not?" I say.

Well, it certainly couldn't be anything a normal person (if they weren't of that decent) would understand. And people understand gibberish and Spanish. So I narrowed it down to Chinese. They won't talk in it constantly, but my sister speaks in gibberish to her friends and I have no idea what they're saying. It's cool (however childish that sounds =) And if anyone is well versed in Chinese, by all means, please correct me because I'm pretty sure I got a lot of it wrong.

Second, aren't you glad you finally get to understand a little bit about Gabriella's past? But then again, once I give you some information, I bombard you with more secrets. Haha.

Well, anyway. Do the usual, read review! I love reviews!


	10. When Dreams Become Reality

_LAST TIME- _

"_Troy!" Gabriella greeted the blue eyed teen quickly. _

"_Do you know this guy, Gabriella?" Troy questioned, gesturing to the handsome boy standing next to her._

_Gabriella, for the first time in her life, was speechless. "Yeah…uh," she mumbled uncertainly. "He's…well he's…"_

_The emerald eyed teen smiled, enjoying the awkward situation Gabriella was in. "Colt Winchester—," he stuck out his hand in greeting to Troy. "—I'm her ex-boyfriend."_

----------

**Chapter Ten:**

_When Dreams Become Reality_

----

Troy eyed the outstretched hand hesitantly. Where had he heard that name before?

Finally, he reached forward and gripped the other boys hand firmly. "Troy Bolton."

"Troy Bolton?" Colt asked, a hint of an edge in his voice. "Like, Troy Bolton—East High's Troy Bolton?"

"That's me." Troy nodded, but there was something about the emerald eyed teen that made him edgy. Dammit, where had he heard that name before?

And then, all at once, the answer came crashing down on his subconscious. His shoulders sagged ever so slightly and his chest tightened, his lungs freezing.

"Well, Troy Bolton," Colt let a feral grin twitch across his face. "I am Colt Winchester of the West Haven Warriors, the—"

"—Reigning State Champions," Troy choked out before turning sharply to Gabriella. "You went to _West Haven_?"

Gabriella opened her mouth to defend herself, but Colt stepped in. "Ah, yes. It was a dark day indeed when West Haven lost its queen." He reached forward towards Gabriella's face but she drew back, eyes flashing like flint. "Many people lost their role model the day you transferred, Gabriella."

"That's heart wrenching," she replied flatly.

"Where is this anger coming from?" Colt asked in sarcastic surprise. "Have you already turned your back on your past?" Here, he paused and his voice turned soft, "on me?"

"Don't pretend like you ever cared, Colt," Gabriella stepped dangerously close to the other boy. "When I first started dating you, you were a nobody," his jaw tightened. "You used me to get to the top. To become popular. Don't, for a second, think that you can turn this around and make it look like you're the victim. I didn't turn my back on you. You turned your back on me."

"Please, explain to me the insanity that's coming out of your mouth," he leaned closer to her, almost to the point where they were touching noses.

"I think you know," Gabriella ground out. "That night, last year."

"There were many night's last year, sweetheart. It'd be difficult for me to remember them all."

Gabriella didn't elaborate. "Do you remember what I said that night?"

Colt, in the first sign of annoyance Troy had witness from the boy, locked his jaw and narrowed his eyes.

"I told you that I wasn't going to drink. That I would only play in that tournament if the cups were filled with water or soda." She kept going and Colt's face grew redder. "And I had my water bottle with me because I knew I would be tempted. And you were nice enough to fill it up for me when I downed the contents. Because that's all it turned out to be. Contents." She dragged in a breath through her clenched teeth, her hands balled into fists at her side. "Because it wasn't water anymore, was it, Colt? After you filled it up the countless times. Tell me, how much alcohol did you slip in there for me to not notice?"

In an instant, every single emotion on Colt's face was gone. Even the anger. He stood there for a second, locked in a heated staring contest, before straitening and taking in a breath. In a split second, a grin spread across his face and he smiled at her childishly. "Man, I knew there was a reason why we called you 'the tank'. It took you an hour and a half to get drunk enough to agree to be my partner."

"Do you have any idea what happened to me that night?!" She growled. "First, I was _raped _by someone at that party! By someone I _knew_! And second, I was in a car crash that killed _my father_! And all of that happened because you slipped alcohol into my drink!"

Colt seemed unaffected by the news. "It's not called 'rape' if you enjoyed it, Gabriella." He shrugged nonchalantly, a sadistic grin on his face. "And the car crash was your old man's fault. You should have told him to keep his eyes on the road."

Troy punched the emerald eyed teen and Colt pitched backwards to the floor.

"Sonofabitch!" he snarled dangerously low.

Gabriella caught him around the arm when he took a step forward. "Stop, Troy. Stop."

"But—!"

"I am not going to let you throw away your spot in States because of me," she pulled on his arm harder. "Please, leave it be."

Troy locked his jaw and turned to Colt. "We'll settle this on the court."

"What makes you think you'll even get that far?" Colt rubbed his red jaw and jumped to his feet, unfazed. "You and your pathetic excuse for a team won't get past the first round."

Troy snarled and if it weren't for Gabriella's hands on his chest, he would have kicked the shit out of the other teen. "Your ass is mine, Winchester." He pointed in a threat to Colt as Gabriella dragged him away.

Colt held up his hands and motioned forward. "Bring it on, Bolton."

**-XxX-**

"Can we talk about this?" Gabriella broke the silence of the truck cabin.

They hadn't talked since exiting the hospital, and though she wanted to explain herself, Troy didn't look like he was in the chatting mood.

"There's nothing to talk about." Troy replied tightly.

Gabriella closed her eyes tightly and pinched the bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger. "At least let me explain."

"Honestly, Gabriella, I don't want to hear it." She looked to him, but his eyes were trained forward, hands clenched, knuckled white, around the steering wheel. "There's nothing to explain."

In that instant, she knew she was losing him. Panic clutched around her heart and her brain mouth function shut down completely, because out of all the things she could have said, the worst set of words left her mouth. "You're just overreacting. Look, Troy, I understand—"

"_Overreacting!_" He bit our furiously, cutting her off. "_You!? Understand!?_" Letting out a mock of laughter, he swung his head to glare at her and her mouth snapped shut. "You think you understand? Tell me something," his eyes bore into hers, electric blue overpowering chocolate brown. That one look brought tears to the corners of her eyes. The deepest betrayal she had ever seen was starting back at her through those cerulean eyes she had fallen so much in love with.

"Were you ever going to tell me that you went to West Haven?" She opened her mouth to answer but he didn't give her the chance. "Were you ever going to tell me that you _dated _Colt Winchester, the Kobe Bryant of High School basketball players?"

She opened and closed her mouth before letting an exasperated sigh out through her nose. "I was going to—eventually."

"That makes me feel a whole lot better." Troy rolled his eyes.

"What do you want me to say, Troy?" She demanded. "Do you want me to say that I'm sorry? That I'm sorry I was _popular_? Sorry that I had another life that isn't the same as the one I have now? Sorry that I got drunk one night and quite possibly _raped_? Sorry that I got in a _car crash_ that led to my transfer? The death of my _father_?"

"_Don't you dare try to turn this around!_" He snarled. "_I'm the one that was lied to! I'm the one that was deceived!_"

She actually flinched at the word _deceived_ because he put extra emphasis on it. "I didn't mean to—"

"You should have thought about that before you lied to me."

"I didn't lie to you, Troy." She replied in a small voice. "I told you the truth."

"You told me what I wanted to hear," he snapped. "A half truth. "

"I was going to tel—"

"Eventually. I got that."

Gabriella turned her head and looked out the window, sighing deeply. "I'm so sorry, Troy."

"Yeah," the car jerked to a stop as he put on the parking break, "whatever."

Gabriella looked up and was met with the closed garage of her house. Looking to her left, Troy was unmoving in the driver's seat. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said softly.

"I guess," he grunted.

She got out of the car, closing the door softly behind her. He didn't wait for her to step away from the truck. Troy reversed out of her driveway and sped down the street, turning a corner and was gone.

**-XxX-**

He didn't talk to her all day.

"Damn girl," Taylor looked passed her shoulder to a sulking Troy Bolton. "What did you _do_ to him? He looks miserable."

"Not now, Taylor," Gabriella said softly, shoving her math book into her back pack.

"I'm just saying," Taylor shrugged. "Troy Bolton has never looked this depressed—"

"Taylor!" Gabriella snapped, rounding on her best friend. "Not. Now."

Through her surprise, Taylor watched her best friend haul one more book into her book bag and turn on her heel, heading down the opposite end of the hallway.

"This is so not good." The African America girl mumbled under her breath.

"You're telling me," Chad said from behind.

Taylor whipped around fast, putting up her hands in self defense. Upon seeing Chad, hands over his head, she shoved a sigh of relief. "Don't do that, Chad. You almost gave me a heart attack."

"And you were about to kick my ass, weren't you?" He said accusingly, though there was a small smile on his face.

She shook her head. "You would be joking at a time like this."

He turned serious in a split second. "So it's happening on your end too?"

Taylor nodded her head. "I've never seen her this—" her eyes softened. "—_Sad_ before."

"Same." Chad agreed. "Even though I hate to admit it, they were kind of perfect for each other."

"So perfect it kind of made me sick just watching them." Taylor made a face and then turned to Chad. "Has he said anything about what might have happened?"

Chad, eye squinting, rubbed the back of his head in thought. "The only thing he's said to me is," he straightened and cleared his throat loudly, trying to make his best interpretation of Troy. "She lied to me."

Taylor smacked her forehead. "God, it's worse than I thought."

Chad blinked. "What?"

"She has a dark past, Chad," Taylor shook her head. "Troy must have found out."

"Gabriella? Dark past?" Chad laughed. "You've gotta be kitting me."

"Chad, she hasn't always been the good little girl," Taylor said darkly and the smiled dropped off of Chad's face. "In another life, she was a completely different person."

"And you know this how?"

Taylor, sighing, hooked one of her arms through his. "Because she told me."

When Taylor didn't elaborate, Chad lifted an eyebrow. "And?"

"Shit happened. She transferred."

"Here?" Chad asked. "To East High?"

"No, genius, to West High."

Chad held up his hands in surrender. "Whoa, I just wanted to clarify. You know me and paying attention. I was just making sure."

"Sorry. We just—we just need to do something about this. Do you have any ideas?"

Chad tapped his finger on his chin. "Well, in this situation, there's only one person he'll listen too."

Taylor snapped to attention. "Who?"

Chad smiled. "Obnoxious blond hair and a sweet tooth for pink."

Taylor let out a bark of laughter but when Chad didn't find the humor in it, her face dropped instantly. "Shit. You're serious."

"Talking to her won't be a problem," Chad tightened his hold around one of Taylor's arms and started to drag her down the hallway. "Getting her to see our side will be."

Taylor crossed her arms. "You've got to be kidding me."

Chad just stared at her, face straight.

After a pause, Taylor sighed in exasperation. "Ahh shit."

**-XxX-**

"Absolutely not."

Sharpay Evans was sitting on one of the circular lunch tables, arms cross defiantly over her chest. Lunch had been over for about fifteen minutes and it was the perfect chance to talk to the popular blond, alone. Talking to her wasn't the issue, getting her to actually listen was.

Taylor threw up her hands in frustration in the background while Chad ran his hands through his curly brown hair.

"But why not?" Chad was on the verge of pleading.

Sharpay laughed, flipping her hair with one swift, but graceful jerk. "You want me to talk to Troy about getting back together with _Gabriella Montez_?" She lifted her eyebrows in skepticism. "Why, on Earth, would I agree to do that?"

"Stop answering questions with more questions!" Chad threw up his hands and spun on his heels. "Swallow your _damn_ pride and just admit that they were perfect for each other."

"I will not admit it." Sharpay said tightly. "Because they weren't perfect for each other. If they were, you wouldn't be in this situation."

Chad growled. "You know Troy Bolton about as good as I do. He's never been good with people lying to him, even if it was for the best."

Sharpay wasn't buying it. "How is lying to someone you love for the best?"

At this, Taylor stepped forward, voice triumphant. "So you do admit that they loved each other."

Sharpay snapped her mouth shut, blinking. "No." She denied. At Taylor's doubtful look, her eyes grew frantic. "That's not what I meant. You're taking it out of context. God, I _hate_ it when you do that!"

"Sharpay," Taylor sighed. "Why don't you like Gabriella?"

For the first time in her life, Sharpay was speechless. Her mouth opened and closed. "Well—I mean—I just do—don't." She finished lamely.

The two girls stood in silence. Taylor eyed the blond.

"Come on Chad," she turned away, dropping her head, "we're getting nowhere here."

Chad made a face. "But it's the only way."

Taylor shook her head. "She's too self-centered to see through her anger."

Chad opened his mouth to say something more, but figured it was hopeless. He tilted his head towards the ceiling and locked his jaw in frustration. Finally, he looked to Sharpay, his eyes uncharacteristically serious. "This is the sole reason why he chose her, Sharpay. She cares about other people more than she does herself." He stepped forward and Sharpay actually flinched back. "You are _nothing_ compared to Gabriella."

"You think insulting me will change my mind?" she said flatly.

"No," Chad shook his head sadly. "I realize now that no one will be able to do that."

He turned and reached out his hand. Taylor took it in one of her own and the two started walking towards the exit.

"Hold up." Ryan appeared out of nowhere, his tiny phone in his hand. "Unlike my sister here, I know what those two shared."

"Ryan, what are you doing?" Sharpay asked in surprise.

He turned to his sister. "The right thing." He held up the small phone, and Sharpay drew in a sharp breath. "You will talk to Troy," Ryan ordered flatly, "or this picture will be seen everywhere."

"You're _blackmailing me_?" Sharpay shrieked.

Ryan contemplated the accusation. "I don't see it that way. It's more like 'getting my stubborn sister to see the truth'." Her mouth dropped open and he shrugged.

Taylor laid a hand on the twins shoulder. "Ryan, we appreciate the help, but we don't want this."

"But this will he—"

Chad held up a hand. "We don't want to force her to do anything she doesn't want to do. It's not how we work."

Ryan tilted his head and sighed. "Alright." He shrugged and pressed a button on the keypad, deleting the picture.

Sharpay stepped forward hesitantly. "Okay, I'll do it."

"What?" Taylor's mouth dropped open.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "Please don't take this the wrong way." She waved a hand. "I don't like you. I don't like Gabriella. But I will—," she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "—admit that they had something."

"ohmygod," Taylor breathed. "Did you just—"

Chad put a hand over her mouth. "Baby, just take what we can get."

Taylor eyed Chad and he dropped his hand.

Sharpay shook her head. "You guys are complete idiots."

"Excuse me?" Taylor snapped in surprise.

"Only idiots would give up there only bargaining chip to do," she held up her hands to put her next words into quotation marks, made a face and rolled her eyes, "'the right thing.'"

Taylor laughed, shaking her head. "I was wrong about you, Sharpay."

The blond stepped forward dangerously. "Look, I am not your friend. Like I said before, I don't like you." She stepped back and folded her arms over her chest. "But I am not the cold hearted bitch that everyone makes me out to be."

Taylor raised an eyebrow. "I know. That's the part I was wrong about."

**-XxX-**

She was in the passenger seat this time, waiting for Troy to pull out of the East High parking lot.

Panic crawled up her spine when she saw him exit from the double doors leading to the gym. He had his gym back slung over his shoulder casually and he was dressed in a wife beater and baggy basketball shorts.

She watched painstakingly as he hoped into his beat up old white pickup truck and pulled out of the parking lot. The sound of the parking brake being released snapped her to attention and the black sedan crawled forward slowly before picking up speed.

Soon, they were following Troy, and she screamed, slamming her fists on the window. She took swings at the shadowed driver, but of course, the blows passed right through him. After all, it wasn't her dream, she couldn't control anything.

She grabbed for the wheel, and though her hands passed right through it, she felt a little resistance. Scrunching her eyes up, she gritted her teeth, starting at the wheel. Imagining that it was some sold thing and not a figment of someone's imagination, she reached for it again.

Her fingers wrapped around the cool leather.

Her eyes hardened and she ripped the steering wheel to the side.

"What the hell!" The figure in the driver's seat growled, his hands fighting for control of the wheel.

Gabriella ground her teeth together, feeling the veins in her neck pop out. There was a force—a strong force—pushing against her chest. Almost instantly, she felt her fingers start to slide through the leather of the wheel. With a growl, she felt the sedan speed up, roaring alongside Troy's old truck.

Gabriella, in a moment of frantic panic—because she was losing her grip on the wheel—looked out the window.

Electric blue met chocolate brown.

She was thrown from the dream just seconds before the two cars crashed together.

**-XxX-**

With a gasp she sat up, clutching at her heart. Running her hands over her face, Gabriella sighed heavily, glancing down to her math book.

"Time to take a break before my brain shuts down," she pushed her spiral notebook away from her and got to her feet. Heading out of her room, she made her way to the kitchen where she rummaged through the seemingly pointless contents in her refrigerator.

Her doorbell rang.

Sticking her head up over the top of her refrigerator door, she scrunched her eyes up in confusion. Contemplating whether or not to answer the door, a breath stopping thought came to her mind. What if it was Troy?

She was at the door in a second, wrenching it open. The smile on her face dropped when she saw who was standing on the other side of the door.

Colt Winchester, hand's shoved into his packets, was grinning roguishly at her.

"Hey, beautiful." He greeted.

Sighing, Gabriella rapped her head against her doorframe. "How do you know where I live?" She asked sternly. But she knew for a fact that the emerald-eyed boy wouldn't answer her. Hell, it didn't hurt to try, though.

The West Haven Captain ignored her and invited himself in. "You look like you're doing well, Gabi." His eyes scanned around her living room.

"Don't call me that." She replied with a sigh. "You know I never liked it."

Colt turned to her and gave a sly smile. "Oh, but don't you?"

The tone of his voice shifted her on the defensive automatically. Something was wrong. "What are you doing here?"

"Troy Bolton." Colt replied flatly.

Gabriella blinked. "What about him?"

"I want you to stay away from him."

"Excuse me?" She said, offended.

Colt turned to him. "Troy Bolton is being groomed for greatness, Gabriella. You have to understand that he's been a UA Red Hawk since before he was born."

"I do understand that, Colt." She said his name mockingly. "Troy can be whoever or whatever he wants to be. I'm not holding him back."

"You see," Colt stepped closer to her. Too close, "that's where you're wrong."

"Get out of my house." She snapped.

"Troy Bolton _lost_, Gabriella. Do you know how many times East High has lost when Troy Bolton was on the court?" He paused for dramatic effect. "Never. That game was the first time Troy Bolton has lost—_ever_."

Gabriella clenched her jaw but didn't look away. He was trying to break her. She wasn't going to allow it.

Colt continued. "His stats are slipping. He's scoring fewer points in games. They lost in the Regional finals, to _West High_—" he made a face. "But they're still guaranteed a bid in the State tournament—"

"Why are you telling me this?" she interrupted impatiently.

"The quarterfinals for States next week is going to be a battle, Gabriella, and if Troy Bolton is not focused," his voice dropped emption, his words flowing almost like a promise, "WarHill Secondary will murder East High."

"You want me to actually believe that you're trying to be the good guy?" She said in aggravation.

"I don't enjoy the senseless slaughter of good teams, Gabriella. No one will talk about my victory if I don't defeat anyone except for East High." He replied with a lazy shrug.

"That's more like it," she said bluntly.

Colt made his way to the door, knowing the damage was done. "Just remember something, Gabriella. Troy Bolton had a future—," he opened the front door, paused and then glanced back over his shoulder, "—until he met you."

Then he was gone.

Gabriella collapsed onto her living room couch and closed her eyes briefly, groaning. "What did I ever seen in him?"

She reached into her pocket, pulling out her small silver BlackBerry. Thumbing speed dial four she placed the receiver to her ear. "Hey, Taylor," she sighed as her friend started to talk rapidly, mentioning something about 'Troy' and 'love' and 'huge mistake' all in the same sentence. "Taylor, Taylor, look," she spoke sternly into the phone. "I'm going to Cottonwood to get some homework done and to just think about some things. I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning by there's a lot on my mind."

Taylor went on another fast rant and Gabriella rolled her eyes. Though she hated to do it, it was the only way to get her best friend to chill.

Gabriella hung up and got to her feet. Grabbing her coat from the rack next to the door, and her key's from the small table next to the rack, she stepped outside. Her black Honda Civic was parked on the street next to her mail box.

She smiled softly to herself. How Troy had figured out where she parked was beyond her reasoning. He must have paid more attention to her than he had let on.

It was a reasonably quick drive to the mall. And she parked outside the Food Court entrance. She wrapped her jacket around her body as she slid out of her car, the cold January air hitting her body. She entered the glass doors and made her way to Frullati Café.

It was the best place to eat and she needed a good salad. Stepping up to the counter, she faintly recognized the cashier as going to East High. "Hi, can I have a Classic Chicken Cesar salad with a Strawberry Banana smoothie."

The girl smiled faintly, nodding her head. After exchanging money for change, Gabriella made her way towards the back, hoping to get the booth at the far back, but it was already taken by a group of men. She didn't pay much attention to them and instead slid into the empty booth in front of theirs.

"_We have to do it soon."_

Her ears perked up and she straightened unconsciously. The voice was low, like a hiss, and Gabriella wouldn't have paid much attention any other time. But her ears tended to pick up conversations that weren't meant to be heard by anyone.

"_Why don't we just let WarHill take care of them?"_

Her heart stopped. She'd heard that name before.

"_Because we aren't sure that WarHill will win."_

She looked sideways to the full length windows to her left. It was rather hard to read the reflection because there was constant movement outside in the mall, but she caught the group of boys who the voices belong too.

"_I don't know man; I have a bad feeling about this."_

There was a pause and Gabriella dipped her head closer to the table top. Her heart was pounding almost painfully against her ribcage and she was afraid to breath. Afraid that the smallest of noise would alert them to the fact that she was listening.

"_Look, no one will know that it was us."_

She recognized the voice, along with the semi-distorted reflection.

Aiden Hensley and a band of West High basketball players were sitting at the table behind her. She recognized the Captain's voice now that she was able to put a name to the face.

"_Ben has a huge black sedan and we can take the plates off. The windows are tinted below regulation. We're just ghosting this. No one will know that it was us."_

"_But we're talking about killing someone."_

"_We aren't going to kill him, just hurt him enough so he can't play. We couldn't take him down when we played him in Regional's, so we have to improvise."_

"_East High will win everything. And I'm sick of seeing his face plastered across every single front page sports section. If they win States, he'll be everywhere."_

"_But West Haven's here again. Who says they won't defend their title?"_

"_Look, East High will find a way to win. They're the underdogs. And the underdogs are the most dangerous. We have to do this."_

There was a pause.

"_Alright man, I'm in."_

"_Me too."_

"_Same here."_

"_Ditto."_

"_Good. So, we'll wait outside East High after his practice, follow him and then see if we can push his truck into the river that runs along that road. You guys know the one. After that, we'll call the cops and leave an anonymous tip about the accident. Whether the cops show up in time, that's up to fate to decide."_

Gabriella placed a trembling hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her hard breathing. Every nerve was on high alert, her head spinning. Her hands were numb as she rummaged for her phone in desperation.

Aiden Hensley was planning on hurting Troy.

**.-.-.- Insert Dramatic Music -.-.-.**

**(Review! Uh-oh!)**

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**Author's Note: **So, what do you think? Troy and Gabriella got into a fight! Oh no! And I know it's kind of fast, but I wouldn't be very happy if my best friend (possibly girlfriend) lied to me about something like that. But then again, all guys are stubborn, and blow really small things way out of proportion. Which is basically what Troy is doing. And Sharpay helping so fast was because she knew that it was really simple to blackmail her, but the fact that Taylor and Chad didn't chose too kind of made her, impressed I guess. She feels like she owes them.

I know, I know. The bad guy isn't very inventive. I always use West High as the bad guy, but they're in High School, I mean really, not many people would want a High School kid dead. And kids do some pretty amazing, or should I say drastic things just to get noticed or get attention.

So anyways, review, review, review. And the next couple of chapters are going to be eventful.


	11. Changing Fate

_LAST TIME-_

_Gabriella placed a trembling hand over her mouth, trying to quiet her hard breathing. Every nerve was on high alert, her head spinning. Her hands were numb as she rummaged for her phone in desperation._

_Aiden Hensley was planning on hurting Troy._

----------

**Chapter Eleven:**

_Changing Fate_

----

Gabriella withdrew a pencil from her jean pocket quietly, pulling a napkin from the dispenser to her right. Glancing to the distorted reflections in the window, she tried to make out the faces of the group of West High teens.

_Aiden Hensley_, she scribbled down the West High captain's name.

She looked to the window again. Cameron Farey could possibly be the boy in the blue cap, but she couldn't be sure. A question mark was drawn next to his name. Finally, after writing down another name, she was reduced to describing the looks. What certain boys were wearing. There implied height and hair color.

"Dammit," she hissed to herself. The reflections were just too hard to decipher and she felt helpless. She'd never get another chance like this.

Movement in the window caught her eye. The group of boys, during her mad attempt at discovering their identities, had finished their conversation.

"Okay," Aiden's voice cut through her mind like a knife. She wouldn't forget it. "Next week, right before the game with Warhill. That's when we'll strike."

When the first boy walked past her, Gabriella shrunk back instinctively. Her heart raced against her chest as Cameron Farey passed, pausing ever so slightly to look down at her. She quickly covered up the napkin with one hand and fiddled with the salt and pepper shakers. He didn't recognize her, but she knew it was him as soon as she looked into his green eyes. He was the boy who had laid out Troy in the finals. Her teeth clenched at the thought as two smaller boys passed, murmuring under their breaths.

Gabriella waited and when no one else walked by, stood up.

She came face to face with the pale eyes of Aiden Hensley.

They were caught awkwardly in the same space. Aiden stepped to his left, so did she. Gabriella stepped to her right, so did he. Finally, he placed both of his hands on her shoulders and moved her gently out of the way.

She was instantly caught off guard by the tenderness of his touch. His smile—that made him appear almost normal—threw her off. How could this man be planning on doing something so horrible?

Then she caught it.

During the second of silence, his eye's flashed dangerously—for the briefest of moments. Her heart dropped and she instantly knew she was caught. But what would he do to her? Certainly nothing in such a crowd—

"I'm sorry," his apology snapped her to attention. She looked up to his face and found that he was smiling, obliviousness washing across his face. "Excuse me." He stepped past her and joined his friends in line like nothing had happened.

Gabriella shook her head vigorously. Genuine smile or not, he was planning to do something unforgivable and she had to warn Troy. She _needed_ to warn Troy.

Whipping out her cell phone she exited the café. Dialing Troy's number, she pressed the receiver to her ear. When he didn't answer on the first ring her heart started to pump rapidly against her rib cage.

"Come on, come on, pick up," she whispered frantically to herself. "Please, Troy, just pick up your damn phone."

**-XxX-**

Sharpay slipped into the empty classroom. Troy was standing, his homework spread out on the granite table in front of him. He was eyeing a stack of Calculus papers with a confused look on his face.

"No matter how hard you stare at it, it won't do itself." She paused, smiling. "Well, unless it's asexual, then it would actually."

"Hey, Shar." He didn't look up.

Sharpay stepped closer, glancing to the cluttered desk. "I've never seen you stay this late after school before."

"Mrs. Robinson went to the bathroom," he flipped through a couple pages in his Calculus book, scribbling some numbers down in a spiral notebook. "She was helping me with my Calculus."

"You've never stayed after for help before."

"Well, that's because I've never cared before. But ever since meeting Gabri—" He cut himself off, locking his jaw. The phone next to his book vibrated with an incoming call but he silenced it almost instantly. "You can tell Chad and Taylor that they can come in. No use in hiding if I already know they're out there."

Sharpay glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Chad's hair took up half of the small window in the door, Taylor's eyes just visible over the bottom. The blond sharpened her eyes dangerously and Chad and Taylor slipped away from the glass, eyes wide.

"They aren't out there," she replied calmly, turning back to him.

"What is this about, Sharpay?" At this, he looked up to his friends face, crossing his arms.

"So I have to have a reason to talk to you, Troy?"

He sighed heavily. "I really don't have the time to just 'talk' Shar; I have a lot of work to do."

She leant back against one of the tables, crossing her arms over her chest. "Well, I guess it's good that I'm not here to just 'talk' then."

"So you _do_ have a reason."

"Look, Troy—"

He waved a hand vaguely. "I don't want to hear it, Sharpay."

"Well that's just too damn bad." She said darkly.

He blinked at her sudden hostility.

"Gabriella likes you," the blond snapped impatiently. "She really likes you."

"She has an odd way of showing her feelings," he muttered under his breath.

"Don't be ridicules, Troy. She braved the social standards for _you_. She likes _you_."

"Last time I checked, you don't lie to the person you like."

"And last time I checked Troy, you lie to the one you like if it protects them." Sharpay stepped forward. "She was protecting you."

"Protecting me?" He let out a mock of laughter. "Letting me walk headfirst into her past is more like it."

Sharpay pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh _God_, I can't believe you're making me say this." She sighed and looked him straight in the eye. "You better not let her go Troy, she made you happy. Whether you can see that or not, that's your problem. I'm just trying to get you to listen."

"_She lied to me_," he repeated sternly.

"_So what_!" Sharpay threw her hand in the air and then rounded on the boy. "Is it the first time that someone's lied to you?"

Troy blinked. This wasn't how the argument was supposed to go. His best friend—the friend that was supposed to hate Gabriella Montez—was _protecting _her. That was wrong. Sharpay Evans was supposed to be agreeing with him. This was supposed to be an _easy_ win. "Well, no, but—"

"Who was it?" The blond prompted sternly.

"Well, my Dad, Mom, Chad occasionally, but—"

"And do you still talk to them?"

"Well, yeah, but—"

"Then but _what_?" Sharpay snapped. "You just proved my point."

Troy shook his head, his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. "Proved your point? What point? I thought we were talking about Gabriella?"

"We are."

Troy opened his mouth but couldn't find anything to say. "You've lost me." He admitted flatly.

"You've had people lie to you before Troy." Sharpay explained calmly. "But you still talk to them."

He raised his eyebrows when she didn't continue. "Yes?"

Sharpay rolled her eyes, sighing. "You've been lied to before, and you haven't cared. But all of a sudden, when Gabriella lies to you—it's like frickin' World War III or something."

"I'm not following."

Sharpay sighed in aggravation. "I can't believe I'm stuck here explaining _your_ feelings to _you_." She rubbed at her temples, knowing she was going to get migraine from this conversation later. "You. Like. Her." She said each word separately, animating with her hands.

"I do not." He denied. His cell phone vibrated again and he took a second longer to silence it, staring at the name flashing across the tiny screen.

"Then why do you care so _damn_ much?!" She yelled.

"I don—I don't understand where you going with this," he stuttered, flinching back slightly.

"If you didn't care about her, you would be shrugging her off right now. You would go back to your normal life, to the life that made you happy." Sharpay explained through her teeth. "But you're not shrugging her off, Troy. You're freaking out, and honestly, I'm sick of it."

Again, he was speechless.

"Swallow your damn pride and just accept the fact that she lied to you. Maybe she did it to protect you; maybe she didn't, but stop crying about it like a three-year-old and go do something. Talk to her. Figure this out Troy, because we can't stand to see you miserable for a second longer. Gabriella Montez made you happy and if she really likes you, then she'll explain everything."

"She was going to," he whispered.

"What?"

He rubbed a hand over his mouth. "After it all happened. She said she wanted to explain, but I cut her off. I didn't let her. God, I was being such an _ass _about it."

Sharpay left out a deep sigh. "Well then, it looks like both sides need to apologize."

The black cell phone on the table started going crazy with an incoming call. Sharpay glanced to the screen and found _Gabriella Montez_ flashing on the caller ID.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Are you going to answer that now?"

Troy hesitated for the briefest of seconds before reaching for the small device. "Thanks Sharpay."

**-XxX-**

She about threw her cell phone when he didn't pick up the second time she called. "Shit!" She growled furiously, pushing open the door leading to the outside parking lot. Wind crashed against her body, but she couldn't feel the cold. She felt like she had just run a marathon, but she knew it was only because her heart was beating at an unnaturally fast pace.

Unlocking her car with the remote, she reached for the handle of the door. He was going to talk to her, whether he wanted to or not. She would drive to his damn house and climb up his frickin' tree if she had too.

"Goddammit, Troy," she hissed, opening her door.

A hand can out of nowhere, reaching over her left shoulder to slam her car door shut.

She whirled around, eyes growing wide. The group of West High boys that she had spied on in the café were standing behind her in a half circle. She was cornered. Aiden's smile was n longer innocent, but edgy, almost excited.

Gabriella backed away from the group in front of her until she couldn't back up anymore. Her back ran into the side of her car, and her throat closed up on her, heart pounding in her head.

"Troy Bolton's girl." A smaller boy in the back sneered.

"Gabriella Montez, actually." She replied, chin held high. "Looks like you have me confused with someone else." She walked forward, past Aiden, but he caught her arm in a vice like grip.

"Now, you see," Aiden shoved her backwards and she collided with the side of her car. "There's a rumor going around that Troy Bolton's gotten himself a cute little decathlon nerd." Gabriella couldn't help the anger that flashed through her eyes, and in that one second of weakness, her cover was blown.

Cameron Farey smiled sickly at her, his green eyes empty from beneath the blue cap on his head. "You want to venture a guess at what her name is?"

Gabriella locked her jaw. "Sharpay Evans?" She guessed sarcastically.

"Not quite."

Gabriella stayed quiet and weighted her options. She couldn't make it back to the mall; the group of boys were to tight together. She'd never get through.

"Now's the point in time when you tell us all that you heard," Aiden focused on her, his voice dangerously level.

She locked her jaw. "I didn't hear anything. I have no idea what you're talking about."

He eyed her, his face blank. "You're lying." Stepping closer to her, he reached for her arm. "You will tell me."

She pulled away and sprinted to her left. Thanking God for her comfortable shoes, she weaved her way in and out through the rows of parked cars. She registered everything in a quick glance over her shoulder as she hopped over the hood of a parked car that had gotten too close to the bumper of the car in front of it.

They were following her. Aiden in front, his face harboring a ferial smile and in that moment she knew he was enjoying this. Cameron Farey was the closest behind his captain, a sour expression on her face, like it was an extreme inconvenience to his day that he had to be chasing her. The other's were fanned out behind the first two, clearly not in as good a shape as their captain and vice-captain.

She cursed under her breath and continued running, whipping out her cell phone again. She was growing closer and closer to the edge of the parking lot, towards the edge of her cover. Maybe she could make a break through Old Town and lose them in the streets? Gabriella thumbed Troy's number again and figured having a crappy plan was better than not having one at all.

**-XxX-**

Troy held the small vibrating phone in his hand, reading the name flashing across the caller ID. Taking a deep breath, he pressed send and put the receiver to his ear.

Instantly, he knew something was wrong.

Gabriella was breathing heavily, breaths coming in shot gasps.

"Gabriella?" He said sharply.

"_Thank God, Troy," he could hear the overwhelming relief in her voice. "I thought you were never going to answer."_

"I know, I'm sorry about that," his voice was tight. "I'm sorry about all of this. I know you were trying to explain to me, but I don't know. I didn't want to hear it. But now, it sucks being away from you. I—"

"_Troy!" Gabriella yelled, cutting him off._

He blinked. Her voice was frantic. That confused him. "Gabriella, what's wrong?"

"_They're going after you, Troy. They want to hurt you."_

It was then that he registered the male voices in the background. He didn't recognize them, but they were angry yells, maybe even taunts. They didn't sound friendly. Troy griped the phone in his hand, his palm starting to sweat. "Gabriella, where are you?"

Sharpay had straightened from her position against the desk, staring intently at him.

"_That's not important," Gabriella breathed. "I overheard them talking at the mall. They said that they were going to get to you right before the Warhill game." _

She was breathing too hard for him to understand her completely. He cupped his hand over the receiver and pressed the phone harder against his ear. "Gabriella, I can't understand you. You have to speak clearer."

**-XxX-**

"_Gabriella, I can't understand you. You have to speak clearer."_

She rolled her eyes, taking in a mouthful of air. Her lungs were burning for oxygen, and though she was in shape, the dead sprint was killing her. Glancing over her shoulder again produced the same results. Aiden and his West High boys were still chasing her, gaining ground almost.

She roared in frustration, eyes frantically shooting this way and that for a way out.

"_Gabriella!" Troy's voice was laced with worry and panic. "Gabriella! Where are you?"_

"Cottonwood mall," she gasped out. "They're chasing me."

She spied an alley up ahead and decided to take the turn. She might be able to gain some ground and then change direction on the other side. She might be able to lose them.

_"Who's chasing—"_

She turned the corner and skidded to a stop. "_SHIT!_"

She'd run right into a dead end. Well, it wasn't really a dead end. The far side of the alley was fenced in. Before she let the panic crawling at her heart take hold, she took notice of the gate. There was a heavy chain wrapped through the fence and gate, but Gabriella saw no lock.

"_Gabriella. Gabriella!" Troy was shouting hysterically into the tiny phone. "Gabriella? What's happening? Tell me who's chasing you!"_

She took a mouthful of air, trying to calm her rapid heart. She was getting dizzy and her hands shook ever so slightly. It was the adrenalin, she told herself, but she was also beginning to feel the start of the energy drain. She was absolutely exhausted from the sprint and she couldn't think straight. Standing in silence for a second, she had to think about Troy's question.

Taking a deep breath to make sure she would be able to get out a full sentence, she straightened. "It's Aid—"

A strong fist connected with the side of her face.

**-XxX-**

_"It's Aid—"_

That's all he got.

A heavy impact—something hard crashing against something soft—sounded through the line and then there was nothing but static. Then that too, cut off. Leaving only silence.

He stood in the stillness of the room for a moment, caught in indecision.

Sharpay stepped hesitantly forward. "Troy? Is everything alright?"

He blinked and shook his head. "We need to leave." He whipped his head towards his best friend. "Right now."

He powered past the blond and stepped out of the room. "Chad! Taylor!" he called frantically.

Both of the teens looked up from their spot on the floor and the look in Taylor's eyes told the chestnut haired boy that she knew something was wrong.

Taylor shot up, dragging Chad. "What's wrong?"

Troy didn't stop to explain, only shot past them towards the school exit. "We need to go to Cottonwood. Now."

Sharpay was close behind and flashed a look of uncertainty to Chad. "He just got a call from Gabriella. Something's up."

"Something's up?" Chad questioned, stepping into stride next to the blond. "Would you like to elaborate on that?"

"It's nothing good." Sharpay pursed her lips and then explained. "He got the call and started freaking out." She paused and waved to the almost sprinting Troy Bolton. "Which lead to this."

Taylor stayed quiet as Troy burst through the doors leading to the parking lot ahead of them. Chad caught one door while Sharpay caught the other and the three exited the school slightly behind Troy.

The blue eyed teen started running towards his car and was pulling out of his parking place just as Taylor got to Chad's car. She looked to Chad as Troy peeled out of the parking lot, Sharpay's pink mustang racing after him. "I don't like this Chad."

Chad slipped into the driver's seat and buckled up. "She's okay, Taylor. Trust me."

Taylor gave a small, forced smile. "I hope you're right."

**.-.-.- Insert Dramatic Music -.-.-.**

**(Review!)**

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**Author's Note**: The next chapter is the violent one, just fair warning. I'm mean, I don't think it's _that_ violent, but it's pretty gritty. I'll warn you at the beginning of the chapter too. And I do have to admit that I did not like the way this chapter turned out, but I guess it got the job done.

I have chapter twelve already written, but I have to change a couple of things and read over it. It'll probably be out on Monday or Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest.


	12. Taking His Place

**Author's Note:** WARNING!! Violence ahead! Violence ahead!

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_LAST TIME- _

"_It's nothing good." Sharpay pursed her lips and then explained. "He got the call and started freaking out." She paused and waved to the almost sprinting Troy Bolton. "Which lead to this."_

_Taylor stayed quiet as Troy burst through the doors leading to the parking lot ahead of them. Chad caught one door while Sharpay caught the other and the three exited the school slightly behind Troy._

_The blue eyed teen started running towards his car and was pulling out of his parking place just as Taylor got to Chad's car. She looked to Chad as Troy peeled out of the parking lot, Sharpay's pink mustang racing after him. "I don't like this Chad."_

_Chad slipped into the driver's seat and buckled up. "She's okay, Taylor. Trust me."_

_Taylor gave a small, forced smile. "I hope you're right."_

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**Chapter Twelve:**

_Taking His Place_

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She was surprised when Aiden hit her. Most kids don't do something so drastic when they get caught. Teens her age, especially men, never have the balls to do something that would jeopardize their future. She had expected a 'don't you dare tell anyone' and a threat to her life if she did, but nothing like this. There was nothing like a sledgehammer of a fist to the side of the head to knock some sense into you.

Gabriella pitched backwards to the pavement, ears buzzing.

Aiden walked closer, grinding the phone that she had dropped beneath his heels as he went, until he was towering over her. "What does he know?"

"He knows that it's you," she replied as calmly as she could—though it was a lie—and his entire stance petrified. "He knows it's you and he's calling the cops. You do anything more and you're going to jail. All of you." Troy had always told her that she was the Jedi Master of bullshit and maybe the information would scare the West High players enough to make them scatter and rethink their plans. Gabriella hoped for it.

For a moment Aiden was frozen there, stuck between shock and fear and probably about 12 other emotions she doubted she'd ever understand. And then it was gone, every bit of emotion in him. Even the anger. He was empty. And that scared her.

"What do you think he knows? What do you think _you _know, Montez?" he asked flatly, though there was a challenge buried deep down. "You know nothing. You overhearing us means nothing." He spat the words like venom in her face and she could almost read his thoughts. He was going to kill her, or hurt her so bad that she wouldn't be able to talk. Gabriella didn't know which one she preferred. But she was not just going to sit back and let them get away with it.

She looked him straight in the eyes, got to her feet and tried her damnedest not to flinch. "At least you won't get to hurt him." She said flatly. "He knows too much already." And she was fine with that. As long as Troy was safe, she had courage. As long as he was safe, she could live with herself.

Aiden flashed her his signature sneer again and any fleeting sympathy she'd felt was torn from her. "I don't need you to go all noble on me, Gabriella. You say some pretty astounding things considering the position you're in. I've heard you were like this. Self-sacrificing till the end." Her neck prickled at his words and he paused, smiling sickly at her. "A lot of money is riding on that Warhill basketball game, almost all of it against him and his precious Wildcats. Nothing can protect him. Not even you."

"Does that make you feel in control, Aiden?" She sighed a disgusted chuckle, staring straight back into his empty black eyes. "It make you feel like a man to kick the shit out of a teenaged girl? To pull back your fist and watch someone else bleed? All for the sake of your precious basketball?" Her lip wanted to quiver, but she bit her cheek to stop it.

She stepped closer to him, closer than she'd ever wanted to be. Because there was no point in running anymore. Troy was miles away, safe, but he would never get to her in time. Even if he did happen to get anything out of her message. It was sad to think that he might show up minutes, maybe even hours later and find her. She didn't want that.

"Tell me, did you see your boy's faces when you hit me just now?" She watched his expression, watched it contort and twitch and felt a sick satisfaction in his pain. She wasn't strong enough to kill him, but she could damn well make him bleed. "I mean really, Aiden, have you even thought this through? Do you know what they'll _do_ to you in prison? A cute kid like you? What was that saying? Don't drop the—"

Aiden shot forward and Gabriella aimed to hit him below the belt. He dodged and tagged her with another fat fist to the back of her skull. Then a kick to the ribs. The group of West High players tightened around her. She screamed as her breath rushed out and prayed for a bystander passing by. Aiden raised his foot again and she caught the sneer growing across his face. The expression shredded any ounce of humanity he had left.

She rolled, pulled his forward-swinging foot and both feet slid out from under him. She ape-scrambled for the alley opening as Aiden's body thudded to the ground. There was no victory for her because her chest felt as if everything had tore loose from its anchoring.

Her head was yanked back as another boy jerked a fistful of her hair. She kicked backwards. Something meaty met her heel, but not what she'd been hoping for.

"Goddamn it!" Cameron whipped her head sideways against the alley wall. She thought the side of her skull had caved in. She was dropped to the pavement again, spitting blood and laughing at them.

"They'll never let you get away with this, Aiden. Or you Cameron Farey," she taunted, pointing to the green eyed teen that had pulled her hair. He grimaced and she started pressing every button she could think of. "Someone will find us. Someone will say that they saw us together in the mall. The police will get your car model. Your plates. They'll get you sooner or later, but that's not what you should be worried about." She watched their callous expressions waver ever so slightly. There it was—fear, doubt, a little edge of panic. "Troy will be out here looking for me. Chad, too. If you kill me now and one of them finds you, you'll never make it to the cops. They'll make you beg for the cops." She took a deep breath, swallowing back the blood and watched an air of uneasiness pass through the group of West High players.

She jerked to her feet, shouldering through two slightly smaller boys and ran for the gated end of the alley. If she could get through, she might be able to slow them down, get some distance.

All hope was washed from her mind as she staggered forward, realizing that nothing worked right. Her legs felt like rubber bands; she couldn't get a full breath; her chest blazed in agony. All she could hear was buzzing and the swishing of blood through her veins.

She shoved open the gate and lurched forward to freedom.

Another yank on her hair stopped her short. She tried to turn around and hit the bastard, but her legs buckled from under her, the weakness sending her to the pavement face first.

Clutching her hair, Aiden grabbed a hold of the gate door. Gabriella scrambled to get the pencil out of her jeans pocket.

Aiden slammed the gate against her neck.

It felt like he was trying to cut her head off.

A disgusting chocking noise escaped her gaping mouth.

She squirmed and tried to jerk away.

The gate smashed into her temple.

Blood ran from her ear, hot against the side of her head and down her neck.

Her vision narrowed to a dark, bloody tunnel.

Again with the gate. Smash!

Her numb fingers tightened around the pencil and she jabbed it backwards into Aiden's hand. He cursed out loud and let go of her hair. Her head dropped to the pavement, burning cheek resting against the cool ground.

Someone dragged her up and wrenched her arms behind her back. Her knees sagged but he held her strong and a heavy fist slammed into her middle. She doubled over, eyes wide, blood slipping from her mouth. She gasped as more fists crashed into her stomach, others snapped her head this way and that. She lost track of time, lost track of which way was up or down as her senses were pummeled out of her.

Then, almost as quickly as they had come, the blows stopped and she was able to drag in a shattered breath. But it was small, a wave of agonizing fire crawling across her chest. She wheezed out a breath and tried to stop the world from spinning, but couldn't. Coughs attacked her lungs, throat scraping raw with the hot air and blood rushing up and out. She was losing herself. Fast.

Aiden wrenched the pencil from his hand and grabbed a fistful of her hair, pulling her head up until she was looking him straight in the eyes. "Why do you fight so hard for him?" His eyebrows were down, his face confused. "He's just a guy."

She shook her head weakly, her vision hazy. "You don't know him like I do," she spit blood out of her mouth. "Troy is _everything_."

Aiden's head tilted sideways. "I don't believe this." He let out a loud laugh in disbelief, turning to his group of friends. "She's in love with him."

Soft murmurs traveled throughout the group and a couple of the players snickered. Aiden, laughing one last time, turned to Gabriella again. "This is very –_interesting_."

His amused tone snapped her back to reality, and though it wasn't as strong as she'd hoped, she managed to transform her voice into a growl. "Go blow yourself."

He backhanded her. Sharp and strong.

"Watch what you say, Montez," he snarled.

"Why should I?" her voice came out terribly weak, throat throbbing. "No matter what you do to me Troy will raise hell to find you after this."

She had expected him to hit her again or at least show some sign of worry, but his face stayed blank until he smiled ever so slightly. "I'm counting on him too."

Her eyebrows crashed together though her weakness. "What?"

"I've changed my mind, Gabriella," he paused, "we won't go after Troy." Almost instantly, protests started from the mouths of Cameron and a few other players, but Aiden waved his hand in finality. "Instead, you'll be taking his place." He paused and contemplated his answer. "For now, at least. When Troy comes after me—and he _will_ come after me. After he sees what I do to you—I'll be waiting."

"You'll never get away with this," she bit out in a small voice.

He laughed in her face. "Gabriella, I've _already_ gotten away with it. You're the only person he cares about, and what happens to you will tear him up more than any physical damage. He'll be blinded with rage and when he confronts me, there's nothing that a couple shots to the knees with a good baseball bat won't fix. I'll call self-defense, say that Troy must have been upset about the Regional game, and no one will be able to say otherwise." He chuckled again. "God, Gabriella. I should be _thanking_ you right now. You're making this much easier than it was going to be."

Her stomach flipped sharply, but she tried her hardest not to show it. Fear smothered her lungs, making it impossible to breath but she straightened up anyway. Locking her jaw, she held her chin high and stared the teen down.

"Beg for your life and we just might spare you." Aiden said dangerously low, noticing her defiance.

She spit at his feet, eyes blazing. "Kiss my ass."

"You and your _damn_ pride! You're almost a perfect match for him." Aiden nodded his head slightly and the boy behind her tightened his hold around her arms. She cursed and tried to jerk away weakly as Aiden approached her, but nothing she did was strong enough to make him budge.

"Last chance." He said flatly.

"Never."

Aiden sighed, his jaw clenching. "This is what happens when you put other people's safety before your own."

Gabriella saw two Aiden's, but only one fist. Her head snapped painfully to the side and she felt his ring cut into her temple, felt every knuckle glance across her cheek bone. The boy behind her let go of her arms and she collapsed sideways to the pavement, her vision going black.

A foot thudded into her middle, a sick choke escaped her mouth.

"…stop—please…" she finally begged, reaching out with a weak hand, but her mind was so far gone; she barely felt it when someone kicked her, ignoring her pleas. It came again. And again. And again. She opened her mouth to plead, but a foot crashed into her jaw, sending her head back to the pavement. Finally, she tried curling up into a ball, trying to protect herself.

It didn't work.

As soon as she tried to move, a strong spasm took a hold of her system and overloaded it with pain. She gasped and jerked but her signs brought no sympathy from her attackers. If anything, the sign of her body shutting down only made them kick harder, knowing the job was almost finished.

That was a rib.

That would leave a mark.

Possibly another scar with that one.

Maybe some internal bleeding for good measure.

Someone above her mumbled "pathetic" and another foot collided with her stomach.

She couldn't tell how long they beat her before she passed out.

**-XxX-**

Troy turned into the Cottonwood Mall, spying Gabriella's black Honda Civic at the far end of the parking lot. He parked next to it, Sharpay pulling in beside him, her bright pink mustang almost radiating its own light in the moonless night.

Troy got out and turned to look over his shoulder, Chad pulling into a spot not too far away. Taylor got out of the passenger side and walked quickly to Gabriella's car. She cupped her hands over her eyes and peered through the dark window. Pulling away moments later, she looked around and then to Troy, shaking her head softly.

"She's not here." Chad said, glancing around the nearly empty parking lot.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "You figured that out all by yourself, did you?"

Chad's eyes narrowed and he made a face at the blond. "Listen Sharpay, I don't even know why you came with us. Last time I checked, you hated Gabriella."

"And since when were you two 'buddy-buddy'?" Sharpay snapped and then paused, looking past the African-Americans shoulder to the girl standing behind him. "Then again, you are sweet on her best friend."

"Mind your own business," Taylor snapped dark eyes dangerous.

Sharpay's eyes flashed like flint and she opened her mouth to snap back at the other girl.

Troy ignored their bickering and walked towards Gabriella's Civic. Something wasn't right. He slipped his hand into the handle of the driver's side door and popped it open.

The others stopped at the sound of the door opening.

"It's open?" surprise crossed Sharpay's face.

"You figured _that_ out all by yourself, did you?" Chad retorted smartly, walking towards Troy. Sharpay glared daggers at the boy.

"I don't understand," Taylor thought out loud. "Where is she then? She had to be here to open the door, right?"

"How else would it be opened?" Sharpay asked sarcastically.

Taylor rounded on the blond. "You know what, Sharpay? I'm sick and tired of this smartass 'I'm better than you' shit! I've had enough, okay? So why don't you just sit back and keep that obnoxious mouth of yours shut while we look for Gabriella," she heaved a frustrated breath. "Can you do that?"

"First off," Sharpay took a dangerous step towards the other girl, "I am better than you. And second, this is probably nothing. Gabriella's probably playing a huge," she threw her hands up into the air to exaggerate her point, "_outrageous_ prank on us. So please, don't let this situation discombobulate that witty little decathlon brain of yours. It would be a shame to lose such brilliance."

"Enough you two!" Troy roared. He took a deep breath and dropped into the driver's seat, rubbing his hands over his face slowly.

Sharpay saw the pain in her best friends blue eyes. She heaved a deep sigh, crossed her arms and turned her head to the side. "Sorry," she muttered.

Taylor locked her jaw. "Yeah, whatever."

Chad walked towards Troy and knelt down in front of him, placing calming hands on his shoulders. "Do you have any idea where she could have gone, man?"

Sharpay heaved a deep sigh, crossing her arms over her chest. "You guys, she's probably fi—"

"_Get up, you little bitch!"_

Troy's head shot up, his blue eyes searching the nearly deserted mall parking lot. The voice had echoed, creating a little distortion, but he got the gist and figured nothing good could be implied in the situation by the words 'get up.'

"What was that?" Sharpay asked slowly, her head shifting from left to right.

"I don't like this." Chad muttered darkly, standing. "I don't like this one bit."

"_Dammit, Montez, I don't have time for this!"_

At the sound of her last name, Troy was on his feet in seconds, springing full out towards the booming voice. Chad was half a step behind him, curses flying from his mouth. Taylor brought up the rear with Sharpay, the blonds heals clicking rapidly against the asphalt.

"Sharpay, come on!" Taylor yelled, moving faster, dragging the reluctant blond.

"Taylor! These shoes are Prada!" Sharpay roared, picking up her pace so that she wouldn't have to be dragged. "You don't just _up and sprint in Prada_!"

Troy cupped his hands over his mouth as he ran. "Gabriella!" He yelled desperately, breath puffing out in front of him. He had no idea where he was going, only hoped that he was following the voice in the right direction. He sprinted under street lamp after street lamp before he yelled her name again. "_GABRIELLA_!"

"_Oh, shit!"_ He heard voices three blocks in front of him, the sound bouncing off the buildings and echoing in the empty streets. _"Let's get out of here!"_ Feet sounded and a boy in a blue cap sprinted out of an alley straight ahead. Two more spilled out, their faces turning frantic when they spied Troy running at them. A beat passed and another boy ran out, turning to look at the group approaching him.

The street lamp above the boy's head cast a shadow over his face; Troy couldn't identify who he was. In the darkness of the empty street, the boy's lips pulled back and he flashed a dangerous smile, teeth shining in the night. The figure motioned 'bring it on' with his hands and then turned tail and ran. Troy roared in anger at the taunt and picked up his pace, his head turning briefly to the alley as he passed it.

If his eyes hadn't immediately hit the body at the end of the alley he would probably still be running. But he stopped dead in his tracks, dread crawling strongly up his spin. The form was strangely familiar and his mind told him that he had seen the wavy dark brown hair before. He barley registered Chad flying past, chasing the group of fleeting boys or Taylor coming up behind, dragging an out of breath Sharpay.

"Wh—What's wron—wrong?" Sharpay huffed, blond wisps of hair flying in and out of her reddened face. "Why di—did you stop?"

Taylor followed Troy's gaze down the alley a gasped, her hand flying to cover her open mouth. "Oh, no, no, _no_."

Another gasp signaled that Sharpay had looked as well. "That's not—That can't be—"

Troy jogged hesitantly into the alley, his heartbeat sounding in his head. Something crunched underneath his right foot and he glanced down, spying an already destroyed silver Blackberry.

The sight of the small phone brought tears to his eyes. Before he knew it, he was sprinting the rest of the way to his girl, sliding on his knees next to her.

She was lying on her stomach, her head facing away from him. It took all his strength to just roll her over and after that he fell apart completely. "No, no, no. _Shit_. Oh, God no. _No_."

It was so bad that he didn't even recognize her.

There was blood everywhere, running from her mouth, ear, and nose and from other openings that shouldn't have been openings. A wide and deep gash on the side of her head was still rolling blood down her face and some kind of object, Troy didn't know what, had been smashed into her throat, the skin already turning dark. The crimson color was mixing with her tan skin, and dark molted bruises were visible from where her shirt had slid up. Her right eye and cheek were swollen, deep and painful, and if she was breathing he couldn't tell.

"Gabriella," he struggled to find his voice as he leaned over her. She didn't answer and his throat closed up on him. Again, he managed to rasp out her name. "Gabriella?"

Chad came huffing in. "Sorry, Troy, they got—" The African-American boy's eyes bulged as he looked upon the scene in front of him. His captain was on the ground, the love of his life battered and bloody in his arms. Chad's mouth dropped open. "_Fuck_." It was the only word he could think of because his brain shut down on him. He put an unsteady hand to his stomach, holding back his lunch.

"How could someone do this?" Taylor whispered as she knelt down, a hand going hesitantly to Gabriella's shoulder. Her best friend's chest was rising erratically, and it was the smallest movement, nothing like it should be. Taylor's mind focused on two words, something she'd never hoped to affiliate with a close friend. _Internal bleeding_.

"Look at the gate," Sharpay whispered in horror, pointing to the metal. There was blood on it. "Someone must ha—must have closed it on her." The blond had never seen something so brutal before and the fact that it was a friend made it all the more real. She could nearly taste coppery liquid in her mouth from the overwhelming scent of blood.

"Gabriella, please." Troy choked back tears and touched her face. It was warm under his fingers, but that didn't mean anything. "Baby, can you hear me?"

Even though the voice sounded so muffled and distant, she recognized it. With all the effort she had left, Gabriella dragged an eye open, the other didn't respond.

She blinked up at him, not believing that he was there. "…_troy?._.."

He let out a choked laugh, fresh tears running down his cheeks. "Yeah, baby, it's me."

"…you came…for me…?" she asked softly.

He nodded his head, lips tight over his teeth. He cupped the side of her head in one of his hands and tried his damnedest not to cry. "Of course I did." He whispered out.

"…even after…everything I…?" Her voice failed her mind sentence as blood slipped from her mouth. She must have been hallucinating; she recognized the voice as being his. But how could he have found her so fast?

"We need an ambulance." Troy whispered, watching the blood run from the corner of her mouth. He ground his fist against the concrete so hard his knuckles bled, closed his eyes and begged God for forgiveness. Begged for a second chance. He promised he wouldn't screw up again.

Sharpay jumped into action, whipping out her pink cell phone. She thumbed the three numbers quickly and placed the receiver to her ear. "My friend—she's really hurt—you need to come right now. 4th and Winston. We're in the alley." She paused and her brown eyes sharpened dangerously. "Don't you _dare_ tell me to calm down!" She bit out furiously. "You need to come—_NOW_!"

"Gabriella," Troy stroked her hair, cradling her limp body in his arms. "Please, just stay with me."

The mixture of fear and panic in his voice was evident. It might have frightened her if she hadn't been half unconscious at the moment.

She could hear other voices in the distance, male and female voices. One of them sounded like Chad's, out of breath. Another, fear shaken voice sounded like Taylor. The other could have belonged to Sharpay. It was just too hard to tell. She couldn't hear what they were saying, her heartbeat was too loud. One beat would sound and echo in her head until the sound came again. But even she could hear the beats growing farther and farther apart. Feel them getting weaker and weaker.

"Gabriella," Troy said frantically. Leaning down slightly, he looked her straight in the eye. "Gabriella, stay with me. _Please, just stay with me_. The ambulances are coming. They'll get here soon. Just stay with me. _Hold On._"

She couldn't speak. She felt paralyzed, and she knew it was because her brain was struggling to shut down on her. She wasn't about to let herself slip into unconsciousness, because she wasn't sure she would wake up. She managed to move her head slightly, forcing a small nod, but even that sent pain everywhere and her vision darkened instantly. Gasping, she whimpered as every muscle tightened in her body, sending her nerves into overload again.

Troy could sense that she was having trouble staying with him, because he took the side of her face delicately into one of his hands and hissed, "Dammit baby, you have to stay with me. You _need_ to stay with me. Say something."

Staring up at him at that moment was like staring up at an angel. The way the light glowed brightly from the side made him appear almost ethereal. The angle to rescue her in the dark of night. It was truly a beautiful sight, and she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps she had already died.

"…your hands we—were always so soft…," she managed to rasp in a whisper, coughing up blood. Her throat felt like it had closed in on itself.

Taylor leaned in close, stroking a stray hair out of her best friends face. "Mèi mei," tears were slipping from her eyes and her bottom lip quivered ever so slightly. "Mèi mei******, **you have to focus. Stay with us."

Gabriella didn't answer and instead focused on Troy's blue eyes. She only had enough energy for one last sentence, and she needed him to hear it. He _needed_ to know how she felt about him. Ignoring the pain, she slowly lifted a hand towards his cheek. Finally, when her thumb was able to wipe the tears from the corner of his eyes, did she swallow back the blood, ignore the agonizing pain aching from her throat, and tell him her innermost secret.

"I love you, Troy Bolton."

Sharpay watched, as if in a trance, as Troy's eyes brightened and grew wide. She saw every feeling pass across his blue orbs. Happiness. Compassion. Love. And it was then that the blond realized why she had been so jealous of the petite brunette from the start. Troy Bolton never looked at her the way he was looking at Gabriella Montez right now.

With compassion in his eyes and love in his heart.

But the moment lasted for only a second and Sharpay's throat closed up. She sank to her knees next to Troy, placing a quivering hand over her mouth to quiet her soft sobs. This wasn't fair at all and for the first time in her life, Sharpay Evans could do nothing but sit and watch.

Because the moment Gabriella's eyes started to close and her hand started to fall, a choked cry of denial escaped Troy's raw throat and he draped his forearm across her shoulders and held her tightly, burying his face in her hair. Not caring about the blood or grim, he began to speak again, his voice fervent but muffled, as if shouting from a distant, locked room:

"No, Gabriella! No, no, you can't do this! Don't go! I've already lost you once! Please, don't make me go through that again! Don't leave me here alone! I love you too! God, I love you _so_ much! You have to stay with me! Dammit Gabriella, don't you dare think about leaving me…Gabriella? Gabriella, _please…_"

Leave him? Why would she leave him? She was right here, curled up in the protective circle of his arms.

But then Gabriella felt a gentle tug as something urged her deeper into the welcoming darkness, and she obeyed without hesitation. There was no pain there and she carried the soothing warmth of Troy's embrace with her as she sank like a stone. She heard the faint sound of anguished sobbing before that, too, faded away.

She couldn't understand it.

Why was he so scared? She'd never felt so safe.

**.-.-.- Insert Dramatic Music -.-.-.**

**(Review!!!AHHHH!!!)**

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**Author's Note:** First off, I will explain to you why Gabriella always seems to be the one to get hurt in my stories, because some of you are bound to hate me after this chapter. I have nothing against her. She's actually my favorite character. But the reason why she gets hurt is this. She's so much stronger than every makes her appear to be.

You see all these guys in action movies get shot like three times, they get their asses kicked, and yet they're still out there fighting. They shrug it off, saying some cheesy line like "It's only a flesh wound," or something like that. But when chicks get thrown into the action, a single backhand to the face puts them down. That's sexist in my opinion. So, Gabriella takes everything people throw at her, whether it's mental or physical damage, and she always comes out okay…or maybe not.

But still, she's strong and I write her to be that way (at least I think I do). She is in no way, shape or form, the damsel in distress in this story. She's protecting Troy. And if Troy would have been in her position, the same exact thing would have happened to him. Well, I think I'm done, lol. Anyways, read and review!

Oh, and I just wanted to randomly ask this, but have any of you seen Cloverfield? I had to watch it in one of my film classes and I thought it was amazing. But apparently, a lot of people didn't like it…which is sad because it's such a groundbreaking movie. Not in the story sense, but the actually filming. I loved it.

Mèi mei (Chinese)= Little sister. Used for sister in blood or sister in spirit.


	13. Too Much Red

No, you are not hallucinating, this really is an update.

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_LAST TIME-_

"_No, Gabriella! No, no, you can't do this! Don't go! I've already lost you once! Please, don't make me go through that again! Don't leave me here alone! I love you too! God, I love you so much! You have to stay with me! __Dammit Gabriella, don't you dare think about leaving me…Gabriella? Gabriella, __please…__"_

_Leave him? Why would she leave him? She was right here, curled up in the protective circle of his arms._

_But then Gabriella felt a gentle tug as something urged her deeper into the welcoming darkness, and she obeyed without hesitation. There was no pain there and she carried the soothing warmth of Troy's embrace with her as she sank like a stone. She heard the faint sound of anguished sobbing before that, too, faded away._

_She couldn't understand it. _

_Why was he so scared? She'd never felt so safe._

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**Chapter Thirteen:**

_Too Much Red_

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"_Stay with me."_

She wasn't feeling. Was only slightly aware. There was endless radio static buzzing in her head, a white noise which reverberated through her body. She wanted to be rid of it, as the unfocusedness of it, the screaming of the fractured memory she was in, seemed to shriek and spasm through her bones and skin and conciseness. Bits and pieces flashed and there wasn't any room for proper thought. She hovered somewhere, somewhere between waking to an uncontrollable amount of pain and slipping into a deeper unconsciousness, where there would be nothing. She wanted the darkness.

-----

They all planned to ride with her.

"Just one," the paramedic said as she wheeled Gabriella towards the back of the open ambulance.

Looks were exchanged and it was the goofiest member of the group who had to take control. Because Troy was too covered in her blood to do so. Too panicked at the thought of losing her. And because Taylor was too angry. And Sharpay too shocked.

"Troy goes," Chad said, voice quiet. Calm. It could have been mistaken for indifference, but that was far from the truth. When Troy didn't move, Chad put a hand on his shoulder. "She need's you right now. Go. We'll follow."

Chad understood the fear he saw in his friends normally bright blue eyes, now dull with sadness and silent agony. The back of the ambulance had no real color except red. Too much red. It was everywhere, paint splashed across a tan canvas. And the artist would not be praised for his work, he would be punished. Troy would see to that personally.

The blue eyed teen heaved himself into the back of the vehicle and automatically grasped Gabriella's hand. Her skin radiated some heat, but not enough to comfort him in any way.

"So your names Troy?" the paramedic next to him asked as she went about the frantic routine of checking vitals and hooking up wires and masks. A routine the paramedic made look easy.

Troy only nodded, eyes fixed on Gabriella's passive face. At least he couldn't see the pain in her eyes.

"Okay, then, Troy, if she wakes, I'm going to need you to try and keep her awake for me. Can you do that?"

Troy nodded and then cleared his throat. It felt like he hadn't spoken in ages. "Do you need her awake?"

The paramedic, whose name tag read _Emily_, blinked at him blankly. "Well, it would be easier for me to diagnose. I have to see what's hurting her and how bad. All I can do is the routine stuff since I don't know the exact damage."

Troy nodded again and lightly tightened his grip around Gabriella's hand. Leaning closer to her, he started to stroke her cheek with his thumb. Placing his parted lips close to her ear, he spoke in a soft, soothing voice. "Baby, I need you to open your eyes for me, okay?" His voice threatened to crack, but he swallowed furiously. "I know it hurts but there's someone here who can help with that, all you have to do is open your eyes and talk. I know I'm asking a lot, but you need to open your eyes."

-----

"_Open your eyes."_

She heard him again._ Okay, I'll try._ Forgetting that he couldn't hear what she was thinking. She heard his voice and the beeping in the background, noises sliding in and out of focus. Sirens maybe. She felt the cool touch of smooth skin across her cheek and hot breath against her ear.

_Okay._

-----

He was still stroking her cheek when she opened her eyes. For a moment she didn't move, and then her lips parted and a breath of air sighed from her mouth, forming a whisper. "Alright, I'm up."

"There's my girl," Troy managed to smile before Emily jumped into her questions.

"Gabriella," The woman leaned over and assaulted Gabriella's eyes with a small penlight. "I'm Emily, can you hear me?"

Gabriella lay still and watched the blurred outline of a figure gradually resolve itself into a petite woman with black hair. But her vision wavered, as if they were at the bottom of the sea, which would also explain the crushing pressure she felt on her chest and the drowning sensation in her throat. The woman's anxious face swam into focus. Her mouth moved again and the shifting syllables rolled towards Gabriella, forming a hurried flow of words. "I need you to tell me what hurts, Gabriella. On a scale of one to ten, what hurts the most? And tell me where exactly it hurts. I need you to be as precise as possible."

Gabriella struggled to catch Emily's entire flood of speech, but managed a weak, "Slow–down."

Emily's face softened. "What hurts?"

At the question Gabriella's eyebrows furrowed with innocent thought, then seconds later she seemed to choke and her eyes clouded over with wetness. "Everything," she gasped, as if the act of simple thought tortured her.

"Shhhh, I know, I know. I know it hurts, but you have to stay with me, okay?" Against popular belief, paramedics were human. They did not speak to you in confusing terminology, nor did they treat everyone with the same uncaring personality. Emily's eyes, which had probably seen so much death and blood, faltered just a tiny bit. When she spoke next, her voice was soft, like she was hoping she could provide some sort of extra comfort from the pain. "What hurts the most?"

Again Gabriella grew silent; her brown eyes searching for an answer while silent tears slipped down her cheeks. "Mostly chest…but head too," she gasped finally through clenched teeth.

Emily nodded in understanding. "You have a severe concussion due to blunt force trauma to your head. The pain in your chest could be any number of things," the paramedic paused and lifted up Gabriella's shirt, her eyes dancing briefly to Troy as she found the thick scar marring the tan skin. Emily got over the sight quickly, gently pressing down on Gabriella's stomach and abdomen, her eyebrows furrowing as the brunette teen screamed in agony. Immediately, Emily grabbed for the walkie-talkie fastened to her shoulder. "Free Runner to Home Base, do you copy?"

"_This is Home Base, go ahead Free Runner."_

"I have a seventeen year old female found badly beaten in an ally. She has a severe concussion. I'm running a morphine drip through a 14 gage." Emily paused and gently pressed on Gabriella's chest. "She's got a flail chest from rib 4 down to 7. Requesting a trauma team on arrival."

"_Roger, Free Runner, they'll be there. Tell me what's on the monitor."_

The paramedic swiveled her head to glance briefly at the monitor showing Gabriella's vitals. "BP is 90 over 55," Emily froze, "…and dropping."

"_What's going on, Emily?"_

The paramedic paused again and looked Gabriella over. She pressed lightly around the small brunette's left side and abdomen, which brought a sharp, agonizing cry from the teen. "Hot belly," Emily said moments later, and Troy caught the hint of fear in her voice.

"_She's ruptured her spleen—"_

"I know, I know," Emily moved frantically, removing the stethoscope from around her neck and moving it under Gabriella's left side. Moments later, Emily spoke into her walkie-talkie, "There's bleeding in the abdominal cavity. Increasing the morphine drip. I'm going to _really_ need that trauma team." The paramedic turned to her partner who was driving. "How far out are we?"

"Two and a half."

"Make it one and a half, Jimmy."

The hairs on the back of Troy's neck stood on end and he glanced to Gabriella's face. She was deathly pale, her skin no longer her signature tan, but instead a chalky white. She was sweating and clammy to the touch and her eyes were half closed and unfocused. Things were going downhill fast.

"Troy," Gabriella mumbled, "I'm losing you."

"Cerebral perfusion, visual deficit," Emily spoke quickly. "She needs a blood transfusion."

"Well then give her one," Troy said in panic.

"I don't carry blood, there's no way to keep it cool," Emily said, hanging another morphine bag. "Listen to me Gabriella, you are not losing either of us and we are not losing you. I'm going to give you some more morphine. I have to; you're in too much pain."

"No, please don't put me under," Gabriella was crying now, from pain or the thought of being surrounded by darkness, Troy couldn't tell. Probably both.

"I'm really, really sorry, Gabriella. I'm really sorry." Emily was trying to reassure the teen, but Gabriella wasn't listening because her heart rate was increasing. "Damn it," Emily cursed and then turned sharply to Troy. "Tell her it's going to be okay."

Troy nodded and leaned down. "Listen to me," he put his hands on the side of her face, stroking her cheeks. "Gabriella, I'm right here. I'm right here."

"Getting blurry," she cried, "Can't see you."

"Listen to me!" He said more firmly, "I am not going anywhere, neither are you. I am right here," he stroked the sides of her face. "See? I'm right here. Right here."

Her head was shaking side to side in small, weak disagreements. Her eyes were drooping from the morphine and after what seemed like forever, she calmed. Her eyes slide shut and a lone tear slipped down her cheek. Troy wiped it away with his thumb, but found no comfort in her passive face. He knew now that just because he couldn't see the pain, didn't mean it wasn't there.

Emily placed a breathing mask over Gabriella's face and nose and started cleaning the gash on the side of the teens head.

"She's going to be okay," Troy spoke in a soft, shaky voice. "Isn't she?"

But the only thing Emily the paramedic could do, with her all seeing eyes and world weary heart, was offer an unsure smile and continue her work.

-----

He'd been in a hospital before. Many times for many different reasons, but none as serious as this. And never had he had so much attention. Rushing in through the double doors brought unwanted stares and saddened faces. The looks held no hope. Instead, there was fear, and Troy could find no comfort.

Two doctors flocked around the gurney, speaking quickly to Emily and her partner Jimmy.

"Give me the bullet." A familiar voice said and Troy turned to find the face of Dr. Andrew Davidson. The older man was in pea green scrubs and looked ready to perform the operation in the waiting room if he had too.

"Vitals are deteriorating. BP's dropped to 70 PALP. Pulse is 130." Emily spoke quickly and for a second, Troy thought that they might have forgotten that he was there. That was good. Maybe he could sneak into the operating room. But then again, he wasn't sure he wanted to see Gabriella cut open like Thanksgiving dinner. He shook his head from the image.

The motion must have made him visible because Andrew looked down to Troy's hand in Gabriella's. For a second, confusion clouds the doctor's face, and then he looked up and understood. And thought it killed him, Troy could see the conflict and sadness flashing through the older man's eyes, he said, "Troy, you have to wait out here."

"No."

"Troy…"

"No!...I have to be with her!...I have to know she's—"

"Troy!" Andrew grabbed him around the shoulders firmly. "I _will_ take care of her. I promise you."

And all Troy could do was nod his head and drop his chin to his chest, trying to remember how to breathe. Andrew vanished quickly through the double doors and Troy walked slowly to one of the uncomfortable waiting chairs. He could feel the stares, could hear the _'she looked so young'_ or _'I feel so sorry for him'_, but he didn't care.

Instead, he stared down at his blood covered hands and suddenly wanted to transfer from East High.

Because he didn't like the color red anymore.

He'd seen too much of it.

Too damn much.

-----

"Is she going to be okay?"

Chad was pacing, the only one out of the group that had enough energy to do so. Miss. Montez had arrived after Sharpay, Chad and Taylor, and upon seeing Troy, his cloths covered in her daughter's blood, she'd broken down. Troy offered the only comfort and they had collapsed to the floor, The Montez matriarch crying into the young boy's shoulder.

"Is she going to be okay?" Chad asked again, turning to Taylor. When she didn't answer he ran his hands through his curly hair in a nervous gesture. "Tell me she's going to be okay." He looked to each one of his friends eyes until he found Troy's, the blue eyed boys face contorted in agony. Chad shook his head, like a little kid trying to deny a bad dream and resumed his fast pacing. "I mean, this is Gabriella we're talking about. She's like, my favorite person in the world." He paused and his voice dropped considerably as he collapsed into a chair next to Taylor. "I can't believe this happened. I can't believe _this is happening_…"

It was like that for hours. Hours that passed like days. But it seemed the longer the wait, the more numb he became to the pain. He would often find himself glancing to Estella Montez and wondering how she could handle a situation like this again. What was she expecting to hear from the doctors? She'd been down this road before and had lost her husband. Was she expecting to lose her daughter this time?

Troy looked up as the double doors opened and Andrew Davidson emerged. Shooting to his feet, he approached the doctor. "Is she alright? Why did it take so long? Can I see her?"

The doctor held up a hand as Ms. Montez, Sharpay, Taylor, and Chad all asked the same questions. "She's going to pull through," he smiled slightly and then continued. "Her spleen ruptured, which was cause for much of the internal bleeding. Usually, we would see if it would heal itself on its own, but in Gabriella's case we had to remove it. She was losing too much blood. Also, she suffered what is called a flail chest, which means a segment of her rib cage was broken under extreme stress. It then became detached from the rest of her chest wall. It occurs when multiple adjacent ribs are broken in multiple places—with Gabriella she broke ribs 4 down to 7—so a part of the chest wall moves independently." Andrew took a deep breath, pausing slightly so the group in front of him could process his words and then continued. "We resent the bones with metal screws and pins. Now, she will be fine, but that's in the long run. Right now, she needs rest, and lots of it." At this, he turned to Miss. Montes. "I'm going to need to talk to you about physical therapy and the police want to ask you a couple of questions."

Nodding her head through her tears, Miss. Montez sniffed and composed herself. "Can I see her, Andrew?"

"She's sleeping right now," he answered. "We've moved her to Intensive Care." He motioned with his hands down a long hallway. "She's weak; don't try to push her if she wakes up."

Troy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. He suddenly felt weak, like he hadn't slept in days. Hands were on his shoulders and he turned and collapsed into Sharpay's arms.

"She's going to be okay," he whispered, barley aware of the wetness on his cheeks.

"I know, I know," she was stroking his head and he could feel the relief flowing off her.

"Her room is this way," Andrew motioned with his hand, "If you want to follow me."

The group gathered their belongings and followed the doctor. Out of the corner of his eye, Troy caught Emily the paramedic talking with her partner. She looked over and flashed him a hesitant, uncertain smile. Troy smiled a response and she sighed deeply and smiled back. He would have to thank her in person later.

They were led through several security carded doors and long, pale hallways. Finally they turned down a hallway with several doors. Walking halfway, Andrew paused in front of a room with the number 1400 next to it. "You kids can go in, but please try not to wake her. Estella, if I could have a moment."

"Of course, Andrew," the mother nodded.

Taylor entered first, followed closely by Chad and then Sharpay. Troy hesitated for a split second before entering the hospital room. Somewhere deep down, he dreaded what he would find.

The room was dark, which wasn't surprising because it must have been around 4AM. It was safe to say he wasn't going to school. He had called his mother shortly after arriving at the hospital. Told her everything and assured her that he was fine and would be home when he could.

There was a couch and chair resting against the wall opposite the hospital bed. He had yet to look at her, just for the sole reason of not seeing his failure. He had not protected her. He had not been with her.

"Oh, mèi mei," Taylor shook her head sadly, stroking the back of Gabriella's hand.

Troy approached the bed and took a calming breath. He sure as hell hoped it looked worse than it felt, because Gabriella looked awful. The right side of her face was one big bruise. Combined shades of purples ran along her eyebrow, down her cheek and jaw. Her lip was split and there were white bandages wrapped around her neck. The gash he had seen Emily cleaning earlier was butterfly bandaged closed. He was thankful for the blankets; he didn't want to see what her torso looked like.

On the positive side, she was breathing regularly. She was not in her blood stained clothes, nor was the color red present anywhere in the room.

"Troy," Miss. Montez had entered the room. "Can I talk to you?"

He nodded and went to the Montez matriarch's side. The older woman sighed heavily and then looked up into his eyes. "Thank you for being there. I was told that you were the one who found her."

"She called me. Sounded like she was in trouble. So I went."

"Regardless, you were with her, for that I am thankful." She paused before speaking next, "Also, I heard that you kept her awake for the paramedic—"

"That was luck," he interrupted.

"But it was still you."

He knew what she was getting at, but there was no way he could take credit in saving Gabriella's life. If anything, he had been too late.

"Because of you," Miss. Montez put her hands on his shoulders, "they were able to diagnose her before arriving. You kept her awake so she could talk."

"Please, I didn't do anything."

"My husband," she closed her eyes briefly, "God rest his soul, died because when he arrived at the hospital, they had no idea what kind of damage he had sustained."

Troy looked up. "Gabriella told me he died on impact."

Miss. Montez shook her head. "I told her that just so she wouldn't know that her father suffered greatly before he died." Troy suppressed a shudder and the mother continued, "But the point of the matter is, is that because of you, Gabriella is alive."

He didn't believe that, but nodded and smiled slightly anyway. Estella Montez then handed him a keycard. "This card will get you passed all the locked doors. I want you to visit her as much as you can. She's going to be in here for a while."

"How long?"

"Four to six weeks. And after that she still has physical therapy."

He collapsed a little bit. _Four_ to _six_ weeks in a _hospital_.

"This is a blessing," the matriarch sighed, "last time…"

"I know," he didn't want her to have to think or talk about it. "It's just," he made a face and smiled sheepishly at her, "I'm not a huge fan of hospitals."

She patted his shoulder. "Who is?"

"Troy Bolton?" a firm voice asked from behind.

Troy turned and came face to face with two uniformed police officers. "Yes," he said slowly, knowing he was going to dread the future conversation.

"We need to ask you a couple questions."

-----

"So you have no idea who would want to hurt her?"

Troy tried not to roll his eyes. "No, I have no idea who would want to hurt her. No, I did not get a clear view of the group who ran away. No, I cannot tell you the exact number of people I saw."

"Do you remember _anything_?" The cop with shaggy blond hair asked.

Troy's eyes narrowed. It had been the same damn question for over 45 minutes, and now they were making him sound like he was useless. "Yeah," he said darkly, "I remember finding my girlfriend in a dark alley beaten half to death. I'm sorry if I can't remember anything else, but I was kind of preoccupied with trying to save her life."

"It's just protocol kid," the other cop said, "but, honestly, if you remember anything else," he whipped out a card, "call us."

Troy took the small white card and nodded. "Don't worry, I will." _Yeah, after I beat the sonofabitch first, _he thought.

As the cops took their leave, an all too familiar, and unwanted, voice resonated out of nowhere. "I didn't know you were so popular around here, Bolton."

Troy turned sharply and glared at the form of Colt Winchester standing at the edge of the hallway. "What the hell are you doing here, Winchester?"

The West Haven Captain shrugged. "One of our bench warmers broke his leg in practice. I decided to be the good captain and pay him a visit." The emerald eyed man smiled dangerously. He raised his arms and motioned for Troy to 'bring it on'. "Are you ready to throw down right here? Or are we still doing that on the court?"

Troy's mind flashed to the dark alley and the figure that had taunted him. The figured that had done the same motioned with his crude hands. The same hands that had threatened Gabriella's life. Something inside Troy snapped.

"It was you!" he roared, running down the hallway to throw a punch at Colt's surprised face. "Do you have any idea what this has done to me!"

"Of course I know." Colt dodged and backpedaled, creating space for himself. "Why do you think it had to be _her_? I knew seeing her miserable and moppy would get under your skin, throw off your game."

Troy froze, astonishment crossing his face. "Wait. You didn't. All of this is because of—" he paused and looked up into the other boys emerald eyes, "_basketball_?"

"Uh, yeah." Colt's eyebrows rose, mocking the blue-eyed teen. "Basketball's the only important thing right now." He leaned closer, his face falling into shadow. "That State trophy is mine, Bolton. You're just a bug on the windshield in my road to the State Championships."

Troy shook his head and ran his hands over his face. "You can have it."

Colt's head jerked back as if he had been insulted. "What?"

"Everything. The trophy. The title. If it really means that much to you, then it's yours. But right now, Gabriella is the most important thing."

"She's just a girl." Colt said bluntly. "You would give up your dreams for _a girl_?"

Troy turned to the West Haven captain, striding towards him until their faces were inches apart. He locked his jaw and tried his best to keep his voice level. "Gabriella is _everything_," he said firmly, "and right now she's fighting for her life in a hospital bed because of _you_."

Surprise, the strongest surprise Troy had ever seen washed across Colt's face. "What the hell are you talking about, Bolton?" The emerald-eyed boy's voice grew defensive. "What are you accusing me of?" And then his defensive face morphed into something unreadable as he glanced down to Troy's still blood splotched clothes. "Gabriella's _here_?"

It was Troy's turn to be confused. "Your boys didn't jump her last night?" _God, had it really only been last night?_ He hadn't been keeping track of time.

"I may be an ass, Bolton, but I value human life just as much as you do. I can say the same for my team. I wouldn't touch Gabriella, let alone let them get close enough to do anything." He paused, putting the pieces together and his eyes grew wide, slightly horrified with his revelation. He looked once again to the blood on Troy's clothes. "Is she okay?"

Troy closed his eyes against the painful memories of last night. "No," he answered slowly. "No, she's not."

Colt's hands fidgeted and when he spoke, the teen's voice was shaky, unsure. "I lied to you when I said I didn't do anything."

The words broke through Troy's consciousness and he had Colt around the throat in a matter of seconds. "What did you do?" A hostile growl escaped his mouth instead of his own voice.

"I just messed with her head, man!" Colt gasped and Troy loosened his grip, but didn't completely let go. "I told her your future was already set in stone way before she ever came along. I said that you were groomed to be a UA Red Hawk and that she was getting in the way of that." Troy's grip tightened without his acknowledgment. "That's it! I swear, Troy! I didn't touch her! I just wanted to get in her head! I figured if I threw her off, it would affect you."

Troy didn't like the answer, but reluctantly let go. "Get out of my sight," he spat. "You make me sick."

Colt didn't move. "Can I…see her?"

Troy locked his jaw. "Do not think that this conversation makes us best friends. It doesn't matter if you didn't touch her. She was alone at the mall because of _you_. Because _you_ messed with her head," Troy ground his teeth together, "and it will be a cold day in hell when I let you see her."

The slightest bit of pain flashed through Colt's green eyes and he swallowed. "Fair enough, Bolton. Just know I hope she's okay. And I mean that."

Troy nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

Colt turned to go, but seemed to remember something. Turning, he flashed a wolfish smile, "And you might want to consider changing your clothes. You look like a horror movie reject."

Troy smiled sarcastically and waved him away. But inside, he felt that his clothing was rather appropriate. He _was_ in a horror movie.

-----

The first time Gabriella awoke from her somewhat comatose state, she was aware that someone else was in the room with her. The pain in her body was significantly smaller, but that was probably because of the painkillers. Morphine, again, was her new best friend. Her throat was still raw, and swallowing was almost as difficult as breathing, something that shouldn't hurt at all. With that in mind, she carefully pried one eye open, and saw a woman sitting next to the bed in a chair. Her shoulders were slumped, her blond hair disheveled. Her skin was tan, and there was something vaguely familiar about her.

As she drew in a shuddering breath, testing her lungs' capacity and if breathing in general would hurt or not, the woman snapped her eyes open, and her name immediately came flooding back to her. Everything did.

"Gabriella?" she whispered, her voice soft. She was beside Gabriella before the brunette could even blink. The blonds' eyes were red and puffy, as if she had recently been crying, which Gabriella knew was absurd, because Sharpay Evans didn't cry. Especially not for her.

With what little strength Gabriella had, she smiled weakly back. "Hey, Sharpay."

Two eyebrows came together as the blond frowned down, looking horrified at the weak response. "Taylor and Chad are in the cafeteria, they were getting hungry. Well, actually, Chad was the only one who was getting hungry, but I guess Taylor decided to go with him." She cut herself off and shook her head, trying to compose herself. "…Are you okay?" she licked her lips, "I mean…you look like hell."

"Nice to see you too, Sharpay," Gabriella rasped, rolling her eyes. At least that didn't hurt. Suddenly, shattered memories assaulted her mind and she closed her eyes briefly, a sudden splitting headache assaulting her amid the morphine. She almost lost herself to the darkness, but a pair of black, emotionless eyes positioned above a feral smile welcomed her in the blackness and she frantically clawed for the brightness of conciseness. Ripping her eyes open, she took shallow breaths. "Aiden Hensley…that bastard…" she whispered between clenched teeth.

Sharpay stared at her in stunned silence. Finally, Gabriella saw Sharpay swallow, and blink, refocusing her gaze. "Did you just say…" she swallowed again, "…Aiden Hensley? As in, Aiden Hensley, West High, Aiden Hensley?"

Gabriella froze.

"You know who did this to you." Sharpay said with wide eyes. "I mean, the doctor said you probably wouldn't remember because of the concussion and all the brain jumbling, but you _do_ remember. I need to get the cops in here—" she went to stand but Gabriella forced her hand to move.

She caught the blonds' arm. "Don't do that," she whispered.

"But you know who did this to you," Sharpay said more firmly. "You need to tell someone. Someone _needs_ to be punished for what happened to you."

Gabriella sighed deeply, wanting to relax into her pillow and just go to sleep in her own bed. "Sharpay, I can't tell anyone because I'm not sure if it was him. I could be hallucinating."

"Bullshit," the blond snapped. "Why won't you tell anyone? The police? Troy?"

"Because I know how Troy will react, and I don't want that to happen."

"Gabriella, they almost killed you—"

"But it wasn't about me," Gabriella cut it. "It was about hurting Troy. All this is meant for him." She motioned weakly to her beaten body with a gauze wrapped hand. "_I_ was the message, Sharpay. Don't you understand that? If Troy finds out about this, they've won." She locked eyes with the blond. "And I can't let that happen. I won't let them beat me."

Sharpay Evans sat back in the uncomfortable hospital chair and crossed her arms. "From where I'm sitting, Montez, it already looks like they have."

"It looks worse than it feels," Gabriella shrugged off the comment but felt thankful for Sharpay's adamant concern. She knew the blond would keep her secret because Gabriella sensed a newfound respect flowing from Sharpay. Something she couldn't quite put her finger on, but was thankful for anyway.

There was a knock at the door and it was opened seconds later by the person Gabriella wanted to see most. Troy seemed to radiate happiness when he saw her and Sharpay couldn't help but smile.

"Looks who's up," the blond joked lightly.

Gabriella Montez smiled at Troy Bolton like never before. "Hey Wildcat," she said in a soft voice, feeling tears spring from her eyes. Secretly, she was crying for what she had to do.

Because even though it would kill her, she would lie to him one more time.

Because it _was_ his fault.

And because that one truth, Gabriella knew, would destroy him.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, ummm, 8 months *nervous laugh* I'm sorry for anyone who had to read this story in its entirety again. I know how much you guys hate that. And I am sorry for leaving it at a bit of a cliff hanger, but hopefully this will feed your hunger for now while I work out where I want this story to go. Thanks for anyone who wants to review, God knows I don't deserve it, but I'll love you forever if you do.

Also, I'll be updating Royal Flush within the month, just have to finish up school stuff before I start writing again. Declaring majors takes up so much time.

Anyways, read, review, enjoy. That's all I ask.


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